Kindred Spirits
by Phoenicis Lunae
Summary: Before his birth, Mewtwo befriended another of his kind: the human clone Amber. Even after Amber is seemingly lost, Mewtwo unconsciously begins to seek her out. Years later, Mewtwo begins his plot for world domination. Yet little does he know, Amber may be lost, but she's hardly gone - and she's about to throw a wrench into his plans. Loveshipping. Mewtwo/Amber. AU of M01.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** This is my first Pokémon fanfiction! For a long time now, I have been a fan of the anime, and my favorite movie has been the first one.

One of my favorite Pokémon characters to date is Mewtwo, who I find to be not quite human, but not quite Pokémon, either. However, I never quite got around publishing any of my ideas until now. After seeing the cut short, I've also now come to support Loveshipping, which is the relationship between Mewtwo and Amber(two). Ironically, my own name is Amber, but as I try to be a good writer, I have focused solely on the character that is presented in canon.

This is an AU of _'Pokémon the First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back'. _Due to this, I have novelized the dialogue and other scenes from the movie, and added content of my own. The dialogue taken directly from the movie is not mine, but the rest of the writing is, including Mewtwo's inner thoughts and characterization.

There are also some obvious time liberties taken with this fic. Namely, there is a clear nineteen-year age difference between young Mewtwo and adult Mewtwo; Professor Aurea Juniper has a younger sister; and other major and minor changes. If you see something that you think is a change, it probably is, and thus done intentionally by me for story/plot purposes.

I hope you enjoy it nonetheless, and reviews/feedback are always welcome!

* * *

_**- Kindred **__**Spirits -**_

Prologue

* * *

_**Many Years Prior…**_

Life. The great miracle, and the great mystery. Since the beginning, humans and _Pokémon_ alike have searched for its meaning…perhaps none more so than Dr. Leona Juniper.

The good doctor had traveled all the way from the Unova region to the Kanto region for a job. Yet this wasn't just any job – it was one that she knew that, if she succeeded, her name would be forevermore immortalized in history. Ever since she had graduated with honors from the _Pokémon_ Institute, she'd never even dared to dream that such an amazing opportunity would be offered to her. Even with the support of her sister, Professor Aurea Juniper, and their father, Cedric Juniper, never before had she foreseen ever becoming the head of one of the unprecedented research teams to date.

Before, she'd always set her sights on becoming a _Pokémon_ Professor and researcher, just like her elder sister and father before her. With her specializations in _Pokémon_ biology, genetics, and origins, she'd figured, once she graduated, that she would join Aurea in her research. Yet life seemed to have other plans for her. It seemed almost too good to be true at first – being approached by none other than Giovanni Masterson, one of the most wealthy and powerful men in the Kanto region, as her graduation was winding down to a close. Better yet, he'd told her he'd been impressed with her thesis on Mew, a legendary Pokémon, and its origins, giving her an offer she couldn't possibly refuse.

Now, here she was, working on New Island, in a laboratory with the latest technology. She was also accompanied by other scientists – the best and brightest that Giovanni could hire from around the world – headed by Dr. Aaron Fuji. Their goal was the seemingly impossible task of cloning the ancestor of all Pokémon, Mew. Legend had it that Mew, the first Pokémon in existence, was also the most powerful. Yet it was just that – a legend. A legend that, even if it was a myth, as everyone said it was, or contained a kernel of truth, Leona didn't care – as long as Giovanni continued to pay her handsomely for her work.

Much work, however, remained to be done. Dr. Fuji had claimed to discover what he believed was a fossil of Mew on an expedition, and they had since managed to extract the DNA. Though the DNA was highly damaged and fragmented, after years of toil, the team had also accomplished the feat of finally piecing all the sequences together again. It had taken a lot of maneuvering; they'd had to replace the missing bits with DNA splices from other, living Pokémon, and even human DNA. Yet they finally had a DNA sequence - a patched one, but stable nonetheless – that seemed to work.

She felt a sense of pride as she looked upon the fruits of their work. Five large, cylindrical containers loomed, stretching from floor to ceiling – and each one contained a young clone inside. Three were clones of known, but rare, Pokémon – Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur, respectively. The other two, however, were far from ordinary.

One was the clone of Mew, termed 'Mewtwo'.

The other was a human girl. Or…what was supposed to be a human girl. It looked more like a shining, white light, contained within the amniotic fluid of the tube. According to Dr. Fuji, it was supposedly the consciousness of his daughter, Amber. To Leona, however, it looked nothing like a person…

'_I am a person,'_ a voice, sounding like a little girl, suddenly sounded. Leona jumped.

Her eyes darted to and fro, but no one else was there. In fact, most of the other scientists were probably sleeping at this hour. It was three in the morning.

"Who's there?" Leona accused, looking around.

'_Me,'_ the voice said, giggling.

"Where are you?" Leona demanded.

'_In the tank,'_ the voice replied.

Slowly, Leona's eyes turned to the tank containing 'Ambertwo'. The white light still floated there, but it seemed to have taken on new brilliance. It was growing brighter and brighter, so bright that Leona had to shield her eyes. Already, she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her blood as her instincts kicked in.

'_Don't be afraid,'_ the voice said. _'I'm Amber. What's your name?'_

_Fascinating_, Leona thought, adjusting her glasses as she tried to get a better look at what exactly was happening in the tank. She'd never heard about anything like this happening before, at least, not from the other scientists – not even Dr. Fuji. On top of that, it seemed to be able to read her mind, her thoughts…

'_I'm a she,'_ the voice –Amber, she corrected herself – said. _'Not an it. I'm a person, just like you.'_

"Not entirely a person," Leona corrected, only realizing a second later what she'd said.

'_What do you mean?'_ Amber asked, curious. _'I remember that I'm a person.'_

The thoughts seem to come, unbidden and in a jumble, to the forefront of Leona's brain. She briefly thought of explaining the entire thing to Amber, but then she considered that a little girl couldn't possibly understand…

'_Oh,'_ Amber said, almost softly._ 'Hold on. I'll show you.'_

Suddenly, Leona's vision was blinded with white, and the scientist gave a startled yelp. Panic flooded her, and she closed her eyes, but the light began to recede as soon as it had appeared. When she opened her eyes, she was floating in what appeared to be a black abyss. No light, no sound, and no smells were evident, Leona soon noted, as her brain struggled to make sense of what had just happened.

'_I'm over here,'_ Amber spoke. Turning, Leona felt shock fill her as a little girl appeared, as clearly as if she was actually corporeal. The scientist felt a gasp escape her lips as she recognized the child – she was exactly as she looked in Fuji's pictures. Thick, green locks fell just past the girl's shoulders, and bright, wide, violet eyes looked up at her. She even wore what was in the pictures she'd seen of her – a white dress, with matching white sandals, sitting atop pale-colored skin.

She looked, Leona realized, just like Dr. Fuji – albeit a small, female version of him.

"Did…did you just read my thoughts?" Leona asked aloud, surprised. "Where are we?" The very thought itself of the clone – or, something else entirely perhaps – rummaging through her brain, like it was nothing, bothered her. There was also the fact that Amber seemed to have pulled her somewhere else entirely, or at least her consciousness. She could imagine a psychic Pokémon maybe doing it, but the clone…

'_I'm…different now, aren't I?'_ Amber asked, almost sounding scared. _'What…what am I?'_

Leona briefly considered the briefest, simplest explanation of how to explain it to a child.

"You're not quite human," the scientist said. "…but you're not quite Pokémon, either. You're…a bit of both."

'_Pokémon?'_ Amber said, sounding confused again. _'But how can I be a Pokémon?'_

"Not _a_ Pokémon," Leona added, straightening her glasses. "Just part Pokémon. We added another part of a Pokémon to you…Mew."

'_Mew?'_ Amber responded curiously. _'Is that a Pokémon?'_

"Yes," Leona said, nodding. "Legend has it that it was the most powerful Pokémon to have ever existed. The first Pokémon. That must be why you can use telepathy."

'_Tel-e-pa-thy?'_ the child said slowly, counting out the syllables. _'What's that?'_

"It means that you can read minds," Leona explained. "Just like a Psychic Pokémon. From the looks of it, you can do even more."

'_Is Mew a Psychic Pokémon?' _

"Yes, it is," Leona affirmed, nodding. "It appears that you have some of Mew's powers."

Suddenly, the mood seemed to darken. Leona couldn't quite explain it; there was no visual change of environment, just a sense of sadness washing over her.

'_I don't know if Daddy would like that I'm part Pokémon…' _Ambertrailed off, uncertain. It was as though Leona could feel every one of the girl's emotions as she spoke, changing, influencing her own. Along with telepathy and other psychic powers, it appeared Amber had also become an empath.

"I'm sure he'll love you just as much," Leona proffered, a little taken aback at her own words. Love? What was she talking about? She barely knew Dr. Fuji, let alone his daughter. Sure, maybe she had noticed that Dr. Fuji was kind of good-looking, and briefly considered maybe asking him on a coffee date once she'd heard he was divorced…

'_You like Daddy,'_ Amber said, as though it were a fact. Leona could feel her cheeks grow hotter with her blush.

"No! No, I just…happen to notice he's a nice guy," Leona quickly replied, holding her hands up. "And that he's quite good-looking, but we're just coworkers."

'_It's okay,'_ Amber said, smiling up at her. _'I like Daddy, too. Mommy liked him, or else she wouldn't be my Mommy.'_

Leona felt her heart twist when she heard Amber mention her 'Mommy'. How could she tell the child that her 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' were now divorced?

'_Oh,'_ Amber's quick realization made Leona's heart sunk further. _'I guess Mommy isn't my Mommy any more, then.'_ The child looked down at her feet, and Leona felt the urge to wrap Amber up in a hug. Before she could do so, however, Amber's head jerked up, and her lips parted in a beaming, happy smile.

'_I know! Will you be my new Mommy?'_

Amber looked up at her expectantly, looking as though she was getting the best Christmas present ever. For about two seconds, Leona's first thought was 'I can't', but the thought of Amber's saddened reaction was almost too much for her to bear. Not to mention, they had already lost so many clones…if she made this one depressed, they might lose it…and they had come so far with this one. Already she could recall how excited Dr. Fuji had been getting lately just by how much Ambertwo had developed. If she denied this child…she could already envision Dr. Fuji's devastated expression as they watched yet another clone die…and the girl, fading away, lost forever…

How could she say 'no'?

"Yes," Leona agreed, meeting Amber's smile with a warm one of her own. She bent down to meet the girl's eye level, enveloping her small frame in a gentle hug. "Yes, I will be your new Mommy."

'_Good,'_ Amber replied softly, returning the hug. _'I'm glad. It's time for you to go now, Mommy….but I'll see you again.'_

"Again?" Leona said, confused. "What do you mean?"

Another bright, blinding light enveloped Leona's vision, and then the world went black.

* * *

'_Where am I? Who am I? What am I?'_

Slowly, he could feel himself coming to. He opened his eyes, only to find that he was floating in an abyss. Inky blackness surrounded him everywhere, yet he could hear voices. Strange voices.

"It's just like all the other clones, Doctor. It hasn't gained consciousness."

"I just don't understand it. Its other vital signs are strong!"

'_I sense others near me…what are those strange sounds they make…?'_ he mused.

'_Those are words,'_ came another voice, this time closer. Much closer. A bright, orange-and-white light materialized in front of him, forming the shape of a human girl. _'They're talking.'_

'_Huh?'_ he asked, confused. The girl was smiling at him, and looking at him with bright eyes a color he didn't know the name of. He had no idea what it was called; all he could think was his wonder and amazement at how beautiful they looked.

'_What are you?'_ he asked, marveling at her.

'_What do you mean?'_ she replied. _'I'm a girl. A person.'_

'_A person?'_ he repeated, unsure. _'Am I a person?'_

'_Well, you look like a Pokémon, but talk,'_ she said, floating up closer to him until their faces were almost touching. _'I didn't know a Pokémon could talk like a person.'_

'_Pokémon? Person? What are those?'_ He asked, his head tilting to the side. _'Which one am I?'_

'_Maybe it makes a difference to you if you're a Pokémon or a person, but not to me,'_ she responded. She giggled and twirled in a circle. _'If you're in this place, I guess you must be the same as all of us, then.'_

Three other being appeared, quite different from the human girl: one looked like a red lizard, with green stripes and a fire at the tip of its tail; another was a green reptile, also with darker green stripes, with a bud on its back; and the last was a blue turtle-like creature, blue-skinned with a brown-and-yellow shell, also with green striping.

'_Charmander!'_ the red lizard greeted. Its fellows did the same.

'_Bulbasaur!'_

'_Squirtle!'_

'_Everybody here's a copy,'_ Amber explained, twirling around. _'That's why there's a 'two' after all our names.'_

'_I don't understand,'_ he said.

'_They call me 'Ambertwo',' _she added. _'But I'm still really Amber.'_

'_Who am I?'_ he asked.

'_They call you 'Mewtwo',' _Amber responded. _'And these three are Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle.'_ She pointed to the red lizard, the green reptile, and the blue turtle as she pronounced each successive name.

'_Squirtle!'_

'_Bulbasaur!'_

'_Char!'_ the red lizard said, breathing a spurt of fire.

The girl, Amber, giggled again, and he couldn't help but giggle, too. Soon, they were all spinning around in a circle, laughing. Before long, however, the blackness around them bean to shift and change. The darkness faded away, revealing black-and-white scenery of what would appear to a human as a gated neighborhood or a suburb.

'_I call this my 'remember place','_ Amber explained. _'This is where I used to live.'_

The monochromatic scenery was soon filled with color – and Mewtwo found it just as beautiful as Amber's eyes. He couldn't even begin to name or describe all of the different colors, the sights, and all of the other things that suddenly seemed to bombard his senses.

'_What is that?'_ Mewtwo asked, noticing a large, orange orb in a sky colored the same hue as Squirtle's skin.

'_That's the sun,'_ Amber told him.

'_What is it for?' _

'_It makes the whole world bright, and it keeps us warm all day!'_ she said happily.

'_Oh!'_ Mewtwo exclaimed, reaching out towards the sun in wonderment. Something gusted across his face, and he felt up his arm, shielding himself.

'_That's called 'wind','_ Amber added.

'_Wind?'_ Mewtwo asked. Now, the wind seemed to carry the five of them through the air, floating high above the scenery below.

'_The wind helps us along. Sometimes it's soft, and sometimes it's very strong,'_ she said. It began to grow dark again, and the sun moved quickly across the sky, dipping down towards the horizon. _'And that's the sunset. That's when the sun says 'good-night, see you tomorrow'!'_

It was dark again, but different this time. Instead of inky blackness, there were many, many tiny lights in the sky that appeared, along with a large, white-yellow orb.

'_Is that a sun?'_ Mewtwo inquired.

'_No. That's the moon. And the little stars that twinkle all bright just so we won't feel alone in the dark.'_

'_Char…'_ Charmander said uneasily, and Mewtwo glanced over at it. It was looking at its body, which was slowly disintegrating! Mewtwo watched as Charmander's body slowly dissipated, turning into tiny, sparkling bubbles.

'_Squirtle…'_ Squirtle echoed, and the same began to happen to it. Then, Bulbasaur seemed to also began to disappear. Before long, all three had completely vanished.

'_Where did they go?'_ Mewtwo asked. Turning, however, his eyes widened as he saw that Amber, too, was beginning to disappear!

'_What's wrong, Amber?'_ Mewtwo asked, alarmed. _'What's happening?'_

'_It feels…like it's time…to say goodbye…'_ Amber said softly.

'_Good-bye?'_ Mewtwo asked confusedly. _'I feel…something…'_ He paused, reaching to feel his eyes when he felt wetness there. _'What are…these?'_

'_They're tears. You're crying.'_

'_Crying?'_

'_My Daddy used to tell me a bedtime story…that when Pokémon are sad, and they cry, their tears are filled with light,' _Amber spoke, smiling.

'_I'm so…sad…'_ Mewtwo whispered.

'_I have to go.'_

'_Why?'_

'_I don't know. But it's alright. Thank you for caring about me…and don't cry, Mewtwo. You should be happy,'_ she said, sighing. She was vanishing at a faster rate now, her body gone, and her face rapidly dissolving. _'You're alive, and life is wonderful…'_

Then, she was gone. He was alone again, surrounded once more by the suffocating blackness.

'_These tears…what are they?'_ Mewtwo asked. There was no answer.

'_Please, Amber! Come back!'_ Mewtwo pleaded. Icy, cold fear gripped him. He didn't want to be alone. Not here, not in the darkness that seemed to be closing in on him from all sides. _'Don't go, please! AMBER!'_

* * *

"What's that?" Dr. Fuji asked, reading the fluctuations on the screen.

"I'm not sure. But Mewtwo and Ambertwo seem to be communicating with the other clones," another scientist replies.

"But how?" Dr. Fuji pressed.

"I think they're using telepathy," his peer suggested.

However, Dr. Fuji seemed to take no notice of his colleague's suggestion. Instead, he strode over to the artificial womb that held the white, glowing light of Ambertwo's consciousness.

"Soon," he spoke reverently, placing his hand on the glass."Please…please let my theories be true…I must see my little girl's smile again…" Dr. Fuji pleaded. "I just need to keep her consciousness viable long enough to complete the process…"

He paused, his eyes lifting up to stare at the glow from behind his spectacles.

"I'll do anything to see you again…" he whispered. Suddenly, however, he heard another one of the team members' shouts.

"We're losing all readings from Charmandertwo!"

"No! Not again!" another scientist groaned.

"Bulbasaurtwo and Squirtletwo are fading the same way!"

"It looks like another failure."

Dr. Fuji soon returned to his previous post in a few, long strides, leaning over the seated team members to get a better look at the vital screens.

"Doctor…we're…we're losing her, too," one of the scientists said.

"Amber…" Dr. Fuji breathed. Already he could feel his eyes pricking with hot, stringing tears. He was losing his little girl all over again, and there was nothing he could do about it. He could feel his hands balling into fists, his jaw clenching as white-hot rage and sorrow burned through his veins.

"Doctor! Mewtwo's brainwaves are out of control!"

"It's getting too upset! It mustn't remember this!" Dr. Fuji barked. "Administer the serum! Do it immediately!"

"I'll try a hundred units," the scientist said. "Ten…twenty…thirty…forty…fifty…sixty…seventy…eighty…ninety…one hundred—"

"What's happening? Is it working?" Dr. Fuji interrupted.

"Its brain waves are going back to normal," his colleague confirmed. "Everything seems okay, Doctor."

"Nothing is okay! My Amber is gone forever," Dr. Fuji snarled, his voice cold. His fists trembled, and yet there was nothing he could do. "Only Mewtwo survives…"

Meanwhile, Dr. Leona Juniper had been among the team of scientists when she had felt a sharp, sudden stab of pain in her abdomen. Gasping, she doubled over, feeling heat radiate through her lower body. She clutched at one of the railings, struggling for air.

Yet, just as suddenly as the pain started, it went away. However, it also didn't escape Dr. Fuji's notice.

"Dr. Juniper!" Dr. Fuji exclaimed. He seemed to appear by her side at once, placing a gentle arm on her shoulder as he helped her up. "Are you alright? Do you need a medic?"

"No," Leona replied, glancing up at him. She could feel heat color her cheeks once more at his proximity; they were nearly nose to nose, his eyes full of concern for her well-being. However, she shook her head, trying to come to her senses, while proffering him a small smile. "Just a stomach cramp, that's all. I'm fine."

"Okay, then," Dr. Fuji said, straightening himself. "If it gets worse, please, don't hesitate to see the doctor." He turned to return to his work, as did Leona. Yet, from that moment on, she couldn't stop thinking about just how close they had been – and how much his eyes were deep, pools of violet, just like his daughter's. Nor did she ignore just how close his lips had been, either, and blushed again heavily when she realized what exactly she was thinking about.

Her thoughts came back to Dr. Fuji again and again multiple times that day, even when she had settled down to bed. She was so focused on what had happened that she ignored the twinges deep in her abdomen.

* * *

_**Several weeks later...**_

Since the failure of the latest cloning experiment, Leona found her life filled with both good news, and bad news.

In the weeks following the end of the experiment, she had continued to experience abdominal cramps, fatigue, and other symptoms. At first, she'd thought she'd come down with the flu, and went to the island's resident physician to find out what was wrong. So the doctor did some tests, but when the results came back, she couldn't believe it.

"Congratulations, Dr. Juniper. You're pregnant!"

"I'm pregnant?" she'd echoed. "That can't be right. I haven't even been in a relationship!" Much as she'd have liked to ask Dr. Fuji out, the second demise of his daughter had put a somber, depressive damper on things. Despite his loss, however, she'd tried to comfort him whenever she could.

At this, the doctor had looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, Dr. Juniper, but the tests results don't lie. Your blood and urine tests both came back firmly positive for pregnancy. Are you sure you haven't been with anyone? Maybe Dr. Fuji—"

"No," she'd interrupted firmly, shaking her head. "No, I know for a fact that I haven't been with anyone…much less Dr. Fuji."

"I apologize," the doctor said. "You seemed to had taken a shine to him. Are you certain?"

"Absolutely," Leona affirmed. "There's absolutely no way that I could be pregnant."

"Very well, then," the doctor said, sighing as he rubbed his temples. "Well, the next step would be to book you for an ultrasound. Your pap smear results came back normal, but my concern is that there could be something else going on. Uterine fibroids or cysts are not out of the question."

So she'd done as the doctor suggested, and had an ultrasound performed on her. Luckily, the island had state-of-the-art medical equipment, including the machine; but unfortunately for her, the results were the same. When the doctor squeezed the cold gel on her abdomen, pressing the butt of the scanner into it, she watched in slight horror as something appeared on the screen.

"Well, there you have it, Dr. Juniper," the doctor had said. "You're most certainly pregnant. See, there's the fetus right there. It's still very small, as you're only a few weeks pregnant, but there nonetheless. It's also quite healthy. Congratulations."

She could only sit, dumbfounded and staring at the screen, for a good few seconds. There was absolutely no way she could be pregnant. She hadn't even been with a single man in her life! This was impossible! Yet here she was, clearly and unmistakably pregnant…

"H-how old did you say it was?" she finally managed to croak.

"It's a bit hard to tell," the doctor said, squinting at the screen. "But from the development, I'd say you're about five weeks along."

"F-five weeks, you say?" Her voice was cracking now.

"Yes, that's right."

Five weeks. She thought back to five weeks ago, and she remembered it all too well. That was the same week that she had first made contact with Ambertwo. It had also been the same week – the same day, actually – that Ambertwo and the clone Pokémon, excepting Mewtwo, had perished. The same day she'd had those abdominal pains…

Suddenly, the cold realization flooded her mind.

'_Will you be my new Mommy?'_

'_It's time for you to go now, Mommy…but I'll see you again.'_

No…could it be? Her eyes widened, and her hands tightened so hard around the arm rests that the whites of her knuckles showed. Could it be possible that Ambertwo was still alive? That she had survived? That she had somehow implanted herself within her womb?

It was the only explanation that made sense to Leona. Ambertwo had, after all, been part Mew. Not even Dr. Fuji or the rest of the team knew what Mew was even capable of; all they knew was that it was supposedly the most powerful Pokémon to have ever lived. Surely it was possible that maybe – just maybe – the Mew part of Ambertwo had managed to save her?

Her eyes flickered down to her abdomen, which was considerably flat. It would remain so until about anywhere from 12 to 16 weeks into the pregnancy. Slowly – gingerly – she brushed her fingers across the skin, and nearly jerked back when she felt a warm, pleasant tingle in response.

"Thank you, Doctor," she'd said, giving him a tight smile. "I greatly appreciate all your help."

"No problem, Dr. Juniper. It's my job," the doctor had chuckled. He then quirked an eyebrow at her. "You seem to have changed. Is something wrong? If you wish to not continue the pregnancy, I can give you a referral—"

"No!" Leona interrupted suddenly. The doctor looked a bit taken aback, and she offered him a sheepish, apologetic smile. "Sorry. It's just that I've decided to keep the baby. I made a promise to friend once that I have to fulfill."

The doctor nodded. "I see. Well, in that case, I'll prescribe you some prenatal vitamins to start taking. We wouldn't want your first pregnancy ending up in a miscarriage. You'll also be required to see me once a day, every week, for a checkup to make sure the baby's doing okay."

"Okay."

So, with that, Leona set out to living her new life as a pregnant woman. In the beginning, not much had changed. Due to her suspicions about the nature of the pregnancy itself – and the identity of the baby – she kept her pregnancy a secret, especially from Dr. Fuji and the other scientists. The last thing she wanted was to become yet another test subject – or worse, if Dr. Fuji indeed suspected that the child was, indeed, Amber, that he would interfere.

Her most pressing concern was that Dr. Fuji would stop seeing her as a person and a fellow scientist, and treat her as little more than one of the artificial wombs they used for the clones. He might even try to take the child away at the birth, leaving Leona to deal with the aftermath, in order to raise the baby solely as his own. His desperation and despair to see his daughter again was so strong, that Leona couldn't leave it out of the very real realm of possibilities.

As much as she liked Dr. Fuji, she couldn't let her child be ripped away from her right after the birth. Not while she was still alive. Amber had chosen her to be her new 'Mommy', and she always kept a promise.

So, in a few months' time, when it became clear that she could no longer hide her condition, Leona decided that it was time to take action.

"I'm requesting maternity leave," she'd announced to the island's resident administrator. The man, who had previously had his back facing her, turned around with a grunt.

"Why?" he asked, looking at her warily. She knew that look immediately. Giovanni had made certain that no one would need to leave New Island – that was apparent by how he'd provided and tended to their every need. Leona was slightly surprised that Giovanni even employed an administrator here, seeing as how his function of filing and organizing paperwork for them was unneeded. As no one typically came or went from the island, save for shipments of food and supplies once a month, the only function Leona could imagine this man fulfilled was to act as Giovanni's gatekeeper.

As in, he made sure that no one left the island.

"I'm pregnant," she informed him. She could see the man's eyes immediately rake over her form, then widen when he saw her protruding stomach.

"Very well, then," the administrator said, after a moment's deliberation. He looked reluctant to let her go, and Leona felt fear and nervousness well up in her throat. Even Giovanni could not legally deny her request for maternity leave. The mogul wouldn't want to risk an expensive, costly discrimination lawsuit on his hands, and his henchman was well aware of that fact. Still, there was also the fact that Giovanni didn't want anyone – especially not his scientists – to leave.

She held her breath for what seemed like ages, watching the administrator study her suspiciously for several long moments. Would he let her leave the island? Or would he insist that she stay here, and reveal her secret?

"I trust that we will see you again?" he finally said. Leona let out a mental sigh of relief.

"Perhaps," Leona told him, snaking one hand around to rest on her belly. "We'll see."

If things went as planned, she – and her child – would never see New Island again. She had long since had been informed by the doctor that it was, indeed, a girl, confirming her original suspicions. Once she stepped foot onto the mainland, she was already planning on fleeing back to the Unova region. She couldn't go back to Nuvema Town – that was out of the question – but she knew that her sister had a few connections that she could touch base with. They would provide her with places for her to stay, and ultimately, safely give birth.

So, as the administrator helped her fill out the necessary paperwork, and called up a ferry from the mainland to fetch her, she picked up her bags and headed out towards the docks.

When the ferry finally arrived, she boarded it – and was never seen again on New Island.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _Pokémon_ and all related literary characters are © 1996 - 2014 to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. This is an unauthorized work of fiction, and should not be regarded as canon or real in any way. "Kindred Spirits", and all unrelated characters, are © 2014 to me, and are not be used in any other works of fanfiction not authorized or written by me without my permission.


	2. The Invitation

**Author's Note:** First off, I would like to send out a huge thank you to Naomi Shihoin, Antex the Legendary Zoroark, Swirlypasta, and especially Flaming Platinum for reviewing Chapter 1! I wasn't expecting to get nearly as many reviews as I did, and I am deeply grateful to have such wonderful readers take the time to leave them! I single out Flaming Platinum, because the last thing I was expecting was for a fellow Writers Anonymous member to be so kind and generous to check out and leave a non-Review Game review on one of my works! For that, please expect a review in kind for one of your own stories soon.

Secondly, I would also like to personally thank those who favorited and watched "Kindred Spirits"! If you have not already planned on doing so already, I highly encourage you to review Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 (now posted). The more reviews I get, the more morale and motivation I have to write, edit, and update the next chapter(s) sooner! If spinach is reviews, then I'm Popeye: I get pumped to write more chapters when I see new ones being added to my inbox!

However, I do not hold chapters hostage for reviews. If you prefer not to review, that's fine; I will still update all the same. However, if you have not already reviewed the latest chapter, I would please kindly ask that you do not send me PM's asking me to update the story. Due to limited Internet access and making sure each chapter is quality reading material, I may not be able to update "Kindred Spirits" every other day.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 2!

* * *

_**- Kindred Spirits -**_

Chapter 1: The Invitation

* * *

_**14 Years Later…**_

'_Where…am I?'_

Memories flashed before his mind: of a little, green-haired person with beautiful eyes; of three creatures, all different; and of light, wind, sunshine, and happiness.

Yet now, there was none.

'_This…this is not the same…' _Mewtwo thought, looking around. Before him was a clear barrier, and beyond that, haziness_. _The scenery he remembered from before was gone, replaced by metal, glass, and a sticky substance that coated every inch of his body._ 'Was everything before…just a dream?'_

'_Why…?'_ he asked, but was met with silence. Something was not right. Something was…missing.

There was a myriad and rush of voices from the outside, and he could feel the nervousness, fear, and excitement radiating from the sources.

'_Those voices…'_ Mewtwo pondered. He remembered a voice just like them. A voice that had talked to him in the darkness, so long ago…

'_They're outside…'_ he noted. _'Where I must be…'_ Perhaps the voice he remembered was there as well. He sought it out with his senses, but none the noises fit his memories. His instincts told him that he wanted – no, he _needed_ – to hear it again.

He felt the hum under his skin of his powers activating, and his eyes began to glow a solid, ethereal blue. The glass of the artificial womb around him began to crack, the amniotic fluid leaking out. Within seconds, it completely shattered, with shards and liquid flying in every direction.

"Radio Giovanni's helicopter! Tell him what's happened!" one of the voices cried.

"Quiet!" another one of the voices – which Mewtwo noted seemed to come from a pale-skinned, green-haired bipedal creature with four eyes – ordered. "Let us hear its psychic powers!"

Though Mewtwo's eyesight was hazy, the creature – a _person_, something in his brain reminded him – registered as something, or someone, he might know. He racked his brain, trying to remember, but every time he seemed to grow close to the answer, it escaped his grasp. His first impulse urged him to reach out with his mind, to use his psychic powers to squeeze the life out of his rather unprotected throat. In the span of a few seconds, his brain had also calculated approximately thirteen other ways to kill him instantly.

Yet something else stopped Mewtwo from acting on this impulse. Perhaps it was because it was the person's eyes looked so very, very familiar.

'_Psychic…powers?'_ Mewtwo asked, uncertainly.

"For years, we struggled to successfully clone a Pokémon to prove our theories, but you're the first specimen to survive," the person explained. He held out his hand, pointing it to a slab of rock, on which was the image of a creature – _a Pokémon_, another memory reminded him. "That is Mew, the rarest of all Pokémon. From its DNA we created you…Mewtwo."

'_Mewtwo? …am I only a copy?'_ Mewtwo inquired. _'Nothing but Mew's shadow?'_

"You are greater than Mew!" the green-haired person replied. "Improved through the power of human ingenuity! We used the most advanced techniques to develop your awesome psychic powers!"

'_So I am simply the end result of your experiment,'_ Mewtwo concluded. _'What becomes of me now that your experiment is over?'_

"Oh, our experiment isn't over yet! It's just beginning!" the person exclaimed enthusiastically. "Now, the serious testing begins!"

The Pokémon watched on as the scientists turned to one another, clasping hands and congratulating each other. They seemed to ignore Mewtwo's presence now, all smiles and happy tones as they patted one another on the back.

'_These humans. They care nothing for me,'_ Mewtwo thought, feeling the anger rising in his chest. His eyes narrowed. He slowly looked down, looking at his three-fingered, hand-like paws.

'_Is that my purpose?' he _thought, glancing back up to look at the people. They were ignoring him now, too busy congratulating one another on their success. He felt disgust rise like bile in his throat._ 'Am I just an experiment? A laboratory specimen?' _

No. This could not be. The voice he remembered was kind, and the person it belonged to had cared for him, unlike these people. To these people, he was nothing more than an object, the expendable side product of an experiment. A _thing_ to be tested, tortured, and bent to their will as they pleased. Though a small voice nagged his brain – a tiny thing that protested that, perhaps, he should show them mercy – his original instinct, powerful and as loud, won out. He paused, coming to his ultimate conclusion.

These _people_ would never show him mercy. Thus, he would never show it to them in kind.

_No._ These were not _people_. They were _humans_. People cared whether or not he was hurt, and for his well-being.

Humans, however, were not necessarily _people._

He began to glow the same, ethereal blue from before as he exercised his abilities.

'_This cannot be my destiny!'_

Slowly at first, the other glass containers began to crack, then all of them shattered, sending more glass and fluid flying. Mewtwo felt his body rise into the air, and a blue sphere formed around him. The Pokémon watched as the human looked at him, horror dawning on their faces just as he released a psychic blast.

The force of the impact sent them all flying, their bodies hitting the wall with violent thuds. Mewtwo could even hear the limbs of one or two of the puny creatures snapping as their bones broke. The machines around the lab simultaneously cracked open, releasing bursts of fire as their contents exploded.

Metal arms flew to his body from every direction, grabbing onto his limbs. Mewtwo, however, only took a second or two span to figure out how to evade them. Emitting another psychic blast, he destroyed them. Now, his blood burned with fury as he turned his gaze to two of the humans, the ones who he assumed had dared try to restrain him.

His eyes glowed brightly, and the ground cracked into two. The crack swiftly ran up the wall, in between the two humans, and tore open more machines. The electronics erupted into a blaze of fire, throwing the humans back as they screamed. Another flick of his gaze, and the same happened to another human on his other side. Every which way, wherever Mewtwo saw machines, he sought to eradicate them. Soon, the entire lab was ablaze, and humans were running, their desperate cries sounding as they tried to escape.

The fire surrounded Mewtwo, licking at his skin, but he felt no change. He could feel his psychic powers wrapping his form in a protective, invisible barrier, preventing his fur from ever igniting.

With his mind, he parted the flames around him. Only one human was left – the same green-haired, four-eyed one that had spoken to him before. One of his 'eyes' – glass spheres, Mewtwo realized – was cracked. He was trapped, lying with his back up against the wall in between large piles of flaming, broken machinery. With each passing moment, the flames licked higher and higher, inching ever closer to the human's vulnerable form. Yet even Mewtwo knew that it was too late for this human to escape his fate.

"We dreamed of creating the world's strongest Pokémon," the green-haired person said grimly. "And we succeeded."

Mewtwo could feel his powers growing, just as the fire did, and the blue sphere around his body glowed even brighter. He tried to hold back, but it was far too late: the sheer strength and force of his abilities pulled him in like a black hole, surging through every inch of his frame.

Then, all Mewtwo could see was blue, ripping and tearing and obliterating everything – and everyone – in its path. From outside the island, it looked as though the entire landmass had been hit by a nuclear bomb. A blue-colored explosion erupted, enveloping the island, and reached far into the sky. After the light had vanished, the landmass was covered in a large cloud of smoke, with debris falling into the surrounding ocean.

Unknown to Mewtwo, a helicopter hovered a safe distance away, while one of the humans inside watched the events unfold with interest.

It was clear that the island was in flames; the buildings that once stood there had been reduced to burning rubble. Standing alone, in the eye of the storm, was Mewtwo. The Pokémon looked around, feeling satisfaction as he saw the destruction surrounding it. It was clear that no human had survived.

'_Behold my powers!'_ Mewtwo announced. The current of his psychic abilities was at his fingertips, so powerful that it seemed to crackle under his skin, just waiting to be unleashed again. _'I am the strongest Pokémon in the world!' _He paused. _'Stronger even than Mew…'_

Another life-force registered on his sixth sense, but he paid it no heed. He could sense it was another _human. _However, just as Mewtwo was considering what method to kill this one should be, the human spoke.

"Those fools thought you were a science experiment," the human said in a cold, masculine voice. "But I…I see you as a valuable partner."

'_Partner?'_ Mewtwo inquired. His curiosity was pricked. After all of the devastation and death he had just committed, this human should be cowering in fear. Instead, Mewtwo could sense confidence radiating from him. Why was this human unaffected by seeing the extent of his abilities?

"With your Psychic powers, and my resources, together, we could control the world," the human added.

'_I do not need your help for that, human,'_ Mewtwo dismissed. From what he had observed in the humans' minds, he was merely stating what he saw as fact: that humans were weak, blood-filled bags of fodder that were unworthy to rule the planet. Honestly, he wondered why, and how, they had even managed to gain control of it in the first place. From the way they screamed and writhed as he killed them, they were quite powerless, and relied solely on capturing and enslaving Pokémon to obey their bidding. If they had never invented Pokéballs, they would have been wiped out as a species long ago – and that was something that Mewtwo aimed to rectify.

"A wildfire destroys everything in its path," the human stated. "It will be the same with your powers, unless you learn to control them. I can help you do that."

A human? Help _him? _The mere suggestion was laughable. Yet Mewto's curiosity got the better of him.

'_How?'_

"Trust me, and I will show you a way to focus your powers so that it will make you invincible," the human offered.

Mewtwo briefly considered his options. He could either kill the human, as he had done to all of the rest, or accept his offer. One would lead to another dead body to add to the pyre, while the other…the other offered something that intrigued him.

'_Show me.'_

* * *

Now in a new laboratory on the mainland, Mewtwo watched as machines began the process of outfitting him with armor. First, his arms were covered with the metal; then, his feet, followed by his chest, and finally, his head. The armor felt constricting, the metal weighing down on his body uncomfortably.

'_You say this armor protects my body,'_ Mewtwo stated. He could feel his powers, which were normally like an electric current under his skin, seem to weaken. _'Yet it suppresses my powers.'_

"Your powers are not being suppressed," the human, who he had since learned was called Giovanni, replied. Behind the man sat another Pokémon, decidedly cat-like and large in appearance, which seemed to watch him through slitted eyes. "They're being focused. Learn to use them to accomplish your purpose."

'_What is that?'_

"Patience, my friend," Giovanni responded. "Your purpose will become clear."

Suddenly, the metallic wall in front the Mewtwo began to rise, revealing a lightened, large arena before him. Across from Mewtwo – at the opposite side of the area – sat a large, snake-like Pokémon, made of rocks, which nearly towered to the ceiling. It rumbled lowly in response to Mewtwo's appearance.

Giovanni, now seated on a platform overlooking the arena, snapped his fingers.

Focusing his powers, Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue, and a blue aura surrounded his opponent. In another second, the other Pokémon was sent flying into the wall, crying in surprise as its body made a vicious contact. Its body slid down to the ground; it had clearly fainted.

'_So…this is my power,'_ Mewtwo mused.

Mewtwo's thoughts flickered to a recent memory. Giovanni had brought Mewtwo to a field out in the open, where a herd of bull-like Pokémon called Tauros had been unleashed. The Tauros stampeded towards Mewtwo, threatening to trample him. However, the psychic Pokemon, clad in his armor, had merely lifted his arms. The Tauros, stopped in their tracks abruptly, had levitated in a blue aura in midair as their Team Rocket grunt trainers threw their Pokéballs back to return them.

'_I am in control now.'_

The trainer before him withdrew his Pokémon – apparently called an Onix – and sent out another, which he called Alakazam. This Pokémon, Mewtwo could immediately sense, was also another psychic-type – and powerful, too.

Yet it was not nearly as powerful as him.

Mewtwo sent a psychic blast towards Alakazam, which the Pokémon managed to resist for a few seconds. However, it, too, ultimately was sent flying into the wall. Next, the trainer sent out a Pokémon called a Magneton, which Mewtwo also bested. When the Magneton had sent a Thunderbolt attack is way, Mewtwo raised his arm to deflect it, sending the attack right back at his opponent.

After the first, more trainers had arisen to challenge him – and his powers. One trainer had even been allowed to attack Mewtwo with two of his Pokémon. Mewtwo, however, had done as he had with all of the rest: he used his abilities to levitate the two challengers, his opponents flailing in midair. Before long, it became easy it was like a game or an exercise that he repeated at least once a day, all with the same end result. The only thing Mewtwo lamented was that he was only allowed to cause the opposing Pokémon to faint – he was not allowed to kill them. Once, he had tried, only to find that his armor had sent a short – but very painful – electric shock through him.

It was _too_ easy. Mewtwo soon became bored, repeating the same thing over and over again. For a short while, the Pokémon battles had served to occupy his mind, but before long, his thoughts turned to other things.

'…_but why am I here?'_ he thought. After defeating the last trainer with ease, he was standing in his usual place, behind the wall. _'Now I fully perceive my power. But…what is my purpose?'_

"To serve your Master," Giovanni remarked coldly, watching Mewtwo above from a platform. "You were created to fight for me. _That _is your purpose."

'_That cannot be,'_ Mewtwo said. A flurry of emotions flooded him, but none more so than anger and surprise. _'You said we were partners. We stood as equals!'_

"You were created by humans to _obey_ humans. You could never be our equal."

'_Humans may have created me…but they will never enslave me!_' Mewtwo snarled, equally as cold. He had seen the ways the humans enslaved other Pokémon, forcing them into their containment spheres that they called Pokéballs. Though he had never been forced into a Pokéball, Mewtwo knew now that he was no different. _'This cannot be my destiny!'_

He could already feel his powers surging beneath his skin, redirecting the electric current that ran through the armor. Jolts of electricity became visible around Mewtwo as the armor was overheated.

"Stop this now!" Giovanni ordered.

The human, ever the fool, dared to try to control _him?_

'_I was not born of Pokémon, I was created. And my creators have used and betrayed me!'_ Mewtwo said, rising up in the air as a blue sphere, broken only be occasional bursts of electricity, surrounded him. The cables connecting to the armor dissolved upon impact with Mewtwo's barrier, freeing him from the machine.

By 'creators', Mewtwo was referring not just to Giovanni, but all humans. Humans had created him, but he was on his own. He was one of a kind, unique, and with no equal. Not even the pathetic humans could ever hope to measure up to him and his psychic powers.

'_So…I stand alone!'_

With that, Mewtwo let out another wave of psychic power. The room around him rocked and groaned as Giovanni's platform crumbled into dust. With a yell of surprise, the Team Rocket leader turned, running back into another room.

Mewtwo, however, did not care to follow him. The human's foolishness would lead to his own demise. Instead, much like with the lab on New Island, Mewtwo obliterated the Viridian City gym he was currently being held as a captive at. The compound was completely destroyed with a jet of blue light, and amid the tower of smoke that resulted, the psychic Pokémon fled.

Shooting through the sky, Mewtwo's flight was marked by another jet of blue light. As he soared, Mewtwo could feel the armor – or what was left of it – crumbling, falling away as he made his way to freedom.

By the time Mewtwo had made it back to the only place he knew that no humans would be, the one place he could remember, only his helmet remained. New Island was desolate, and still covered in rubble. It seemed, after the explosion, no humans had even dared to step foot here.

The psychic Pokémon raised his arms, lifted his helmet, and cast it aside.

'_Who am I?'_ Mewtwo pondered. _'What is my true reason for being?'_

He had thought about this for what seemed like a lifetime – and yet he still had no answer.

'_I will find my own purpose,'_ Mewtwo declared. _'And purge this planet of all who oppose me, human and Pokémon alike!'_

'_The world will heed my warning,' _Mewtwo proclaimed. _'The reign of Mewtwo will soon begin!'_

* * *

_**5 Years Later, and 19 Years Since Dr. Juniper left New Island...**_

Two Pokémon trainers were standing opposite from one another in an open field. Though there were no white lines that would denote a formal arena, the teenage boy and girl were certainly about to battle. The young man – a slim, brown-haired guy in unremarkable Pokémon trainer garb – was holding a red Pokéball with a yellow, lightning symbol printed on it. His partner – a green-haired, violet-eyed young woman with an excited smile on her face – also held a Pokéball in her hand.

"Jolteon, let's go!" the young man cried, throwing the Pokéball.

"Zebstrika, I choose you!" the woman shouted in response, also tossing her containment sphere.

With matching jets of white light, the balls opened, and the two Pokémon appeared on opposite ends of the makeshift arena. Meanwhile, both trainers took out their respective PokéDexes.

"_Zebstrika,"_ the young man's PokéDex stated. _"The Thunderbolt Pokémon, and the evolved form of Blitzle. An ill-tempered Pokémon, Zebstrika can be dangerous when angry, shooting lightning in all directions from its mane. It is lightning fast, and when running at a full gallop, thunder echoes through the air."_

"_Jolteon,"_ the woman's PokéDex mirrored. _"The Lightning Pokémon, and the evolved form of Eevee. When angered or frightened, the hair on Jolteon's body become like that are fired at its opponents. It absorbs charge atoms and can produce 10,000 volts of electricity."_

"Ill-tempered, huh?" the male trainer said, smirking. "This should be a piece of cake."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure, Luke!" the woman retorted. "My Zebstrika is no pushover!"

"You know what they say. 'Ladies first'!" the man joked, at which his opponent flashed a smirk of her own at him.

"Very well!" she said, pointing towards his Jolteon. "Zebstrika, use Flame Charge!"

"_Zeb!"_ the Pokémon whinnied, bolting at full speed towards Jolteon. Its body burst into flames as it hurdled towards the Lightning Pokémon.

"Dodge it, and use Double Team!" Luke shouted. Jolteon managed to jump out of the way just before Zebstrika made its mark, causing the Thunderbolt Pokémon to bypass it. Before long, Jolteon had seemingly multiplied itself on the field, forming a circle of copies around Zebstrika. The zebra-like Pokémon looked to and fro nervously, but its trainer was undeterred.

"Zebstrika! Use your mane, and do Thunder Wave!"

An electric charge formed around the zebra-like Pokémon, and volts discharged in all directions. The copies dissolved as soon as the electric bolts hit them, and the real Jolteon leapt back.

"Ha! Your Thunder Wave had no effect on my Jolteon!" Luke commented. "Jolteon, counterattack with Pin Missile!"

"Dodge it!" the female trainer cried. Zebstrika managed to avoid the attack as Jolteon began firing a barrage of pin-like needles from its own mane, attempting to hit the other Pokémon.

"Use Agility!" the young woman ordered.

"_Zeb!"_ the Pokémon affirmed, and began to run circles around Jolteon, its speed doubling in a burst of energy. It was going so fast that it seemed to form a circular blur around its opponent.

"Now, Zebstrika! Finish it with Take Down!" she cried. Suddenly, the striped Pokémon had leapt in the air, crashing directly into Jolteon. The pin-cushion Pokémon was slammed into the ground. When Zebstrika had leapt back, Jolteon staggered to its paws, panting.

"Okay, I think that's enough!" Luke said, holding out the Pokéball from before. "Jolteon, return!"

With another jet of light, Jolteon was returned to its Pokéball, and Luke lifted the sphere to his face with a smile on his face. "Jolteon, you were awesome! Take a good rest."

"You were pretty good yourself, you know," the female trainer complimented, flashing Luke a grin. "Zebstrika, return! Great work!"

"It's a good thing that we're doing all of this training, then," Luke replied, giving her a slight bow. "It's always a pleasure to battle with _you_, Amber."

"Aww, now you're just trying to flirt with me so I'll easy on you," Amber drawled.

"Can't blame a guy for trying. You're a good trainer, if your battling tactics say so!"

"Well, what did you expect when I told you that I've battled in the Unova Pokémon League?" Amber lightly teased him back. "And how am I supposed to enter the Orange League without any practice?" Just then, however, her stomach gave a large growl.

"Eh he he…" Amber said sheepishly, looking embarrassed. "Looks like I worked up an appetite."

"I'm pretty hungry myself," Luke added. "It's a good thing my mom packed a picnic lunch. Let's eat!"

So the two trainers settled down to have their meal next to the large, wicker basket. Amber took out a checkered, red-and-white blanket from the basket and laid it out, while Luke put the basket on top of the blanket. The two trainers took out two paper plates, unwrapping the tinfoil on some sandwiches.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, however, Luke's gaze looked from Amber to look at something over her head. He squinted.

"Hey, I think there's something coming towards us!" he exclaimed, and Amber turned, mid-bite, to see what he meant. Just as she looked, her eyes widened.

"Get out of the way!" she shouted. Grabbing Luke by the back of his jacket, she jerked both of them to the side, just as something large and orange flew right through the area where they'd just been.

"What is it?" Luke asked, as he and Amber jumped up. They turned, watching as an orange-and-yellow, dragon-like creature hovered in midair, then landed on the grass. It was several meters away, but even from the sort distance, the two could tell that it was at least three or four meters high – taller than both of them. The beast seemed to dust itself off, checking the bag that was slung around its shoulders and resting on its hip. It then walked towards them.

"Hey, it's a Dragonite!" Amber exclaimed. Fumbling a bit with her fanny pack, she finally pulled out her PokéDex, flipping it open.

"_Dragonite,"_ the PokéDex announced in a robotic voice. _"The Dragon Pokémon. This extremely rare and highly intelligent type is able to fly faster than any known Pokémon."_

"Huh," Amber remarked, glancing back at the Dragonite. "If that's true, then why are its wings so small?"

Dragonite gave her a dirty look, but reached into its bag. It pulled out a, small, silvery, rectangular device, along with a sealed white envelope. The metallic device also had a Pokéball-shaped, white print and a round, glass-like 'eye' in the middle. The Pokémon offered it to her.

"Huh? It's for me?" Amber said. The green-haired trainer took it gingerly from Dragonite, turning it over in her hands.

"Wow!" Luke suddenly exclaimed. The device suddenly lit up at its 'eye', flickering to form the image of a woman who appeared to be dressed rather strangely. She was clad in some sort of medieval-looking, purple-and-white, frilly dress, along with a purple hat that covered her head.

"It's a hologram!" Amber gasped.

With a small curtsy, the image of the woman greeted them. "Greetings, Pokémon trainers. I bear an invitation." She paused, rising to her full – if miniature – height, folding her hands in front of her. "You have been chosen to join a select group of Pokémon trainers at a special gathering. It will be hosted by my master, the world's greatest Pokémon trainer, at his palace on New Island. A chartered ferry will leave from Old Shore Wharf to take you to the island this afternoon. Only trainers who present this invitation will be admitted. If you decide to attend, you must reply at once. My master awaits you." The woman curtsied again, the hologram vanishing.

"Uh, it's not going to self-destruct, is it?" Luke asked, eyeing it warily.

"No, silly," Amber replied. "It said we needed to present it as an invitation. How are we supposed to do that if it blows up?"

"…point taken."

"Should we go?" Amber pondered aloud, turning over the device once more in her hands.

"_You_ can go," Luke replied. "It's clear to see that you're the one that was invited. After all, you technically won the match." He paused. "Besides, she said it was on New Island. There's no way I'm going there!"

"Why?" Amber asked curiously. "Is it bad or something? I've never heard of it."

"Well…" Luke said, looking slightly uncomfortable. Something was definitely bothering him, and Amber could sense his unease. "Didn't you hear about what happened there?"

"No," Amber said, shrugging. "Why? What happened?"

"From what I heard, there used to be a lab or something there," Luke continued, rubbing the back of his head. "Nobody knew for certain, because no one ever came off the island. Top secret, they say. The only way the locals even knew anything was going on there, was because the island had shipments of food and supplies delivered to them every month...that is, until several years ago. I heard that there was a huge explosion, and a lot of people died." He sifted uncomfortably. "They say it's supposedly haunted."

"Oh," Amber said. Her lips pursed for a moment as she considered her options. "Haunted or not, if the world's greatest Pokémon trainer wants to challenge me to a match, I'd be a fool to say 'no'. Besides, it seems a bit odd to me that that Lance would build a mansion on a site that's supposedly haunted. I've never even heard anything about him building a mansion. Have you?"

Luke shook his head. "No, but then again, I've heard that Lance is a pretty private person, as far as celebrities go. He does his own thing. He is, after all, one of the most powerful Pokémon trainers in the world. He's probably accumulated enough wealth to build a mansion by now. Maybe he wanted some privacy."

"Maybe," Amber echoed. Lance, better known as the 'Dragon Master', was by far Kanto's most powerful trainer, as well as the head of the Kanto Pokémon League. All of his Pokémon were of the rare - but powerful - Dragon-type, hence his title. "Plus, Dragonite_ is_ a Dragon-type Pokémon. My guess is that it's one of Lance's."

Glancing back at the Dragonite, Amber noticed that the Pokémon was eyeing her expectantly. "Oh, right!" she suddenly exclaimed. "The invite said to reply 'at once'."

Fumbling with the plain, white envelope that came with the holographic device, Amber pulled out a single slip of paper. It was orange-and-white colored, with two empty boxes, one 'YES' and one 'NO', printed on the front. There was also a small pencil, which Amber quickly grabbed, checking the 'YES' box. She handed it back to Dragonite.

Seemingly pleased, the Dragonite unfurled its wings, slipping the response back into his bag. Breaking into a run, the dragon Pokémon caused another sandstorm as it sprinted, kicking off into the air. As dust and dirt was kicked up, Amber and Luke attempted to shield their faces, but to no avail. Soon, the two trainers were coughing, nearly choking on the dusty air.

Reaching for her belt, Amber grabbed a Pokéball, pressed the button, and felt the sphere expand in her hand. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the ball flying in midair.

"Braviary, I choose you!" she called, watching as the Pokéball emitted a jet of light. A rather large red, white, and blue-colored bird Pokémon appeared, flapping its wings. "Use Whirlwind!"

"_Brave!"_ Braviary cried, flapping its wings to perform the attack. Within seconds, the sandstorm had been cleared up, and the avian Pokémon alighted next to its green-haired trainer. Amber reached down and placed her hand on its head.

"Thanks, Braviary," Amber said, reaching into the fanny pack on her belt. She proffered a small, round, brown piece of food to it, which it gladly accepted. "Here, have a treat. Return."

With another flash of red light, Braviary disappeared back into its Pokéball, the sphere shrinking back down its miniature size. Amber clicked the Pokéball back into its holster, turning back to face Luke with a smile.

"Well, I guess I'm off to New Island," Amber said cheerily. "Want to come with me to wait for the ferry?"

"Nah," Luke replied, waving his hand. "You go on ahead. My mom said she wanted me to help her with dinner tonight." He paused. "Speaking on moms, how's yours?"

"Oh, you know my mom," Amber said, tucking a strand of hair behind one ear. "Probably stuck nose-deep in her research, as usual."

"Yeah, I guess so. I can't imagine having a Pokémon Professor for a mom, much less being a part of an entire family of them!"

"Hey, I happen to love my family! Plus, it has its perks!"

"Like what?" Luke responded with a laugh. "Your mom won't even let you fill up your PokéDex with all of the rare Pokémon she has!"

"Well, that would be cheating, wouldn't it?" Amber said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, what's the point and use of 'catching them all' if you already have all of them in your PokéDex?"

"Yeah," Luke snorted. "Maybe according to your mom. I, for one, would love to have my PokéDex filled."

"Lazy boy," Amber teased, slapping Luke on the arm playfully. "Well, I'd better let you get back home to your mommy."

"Ha! I guess so!" Luke retorted. He turned, lifting a hand in a brief gesture. "Well, as the once-great Gary Oak would say…'smell ya later'."

"'Smell ya later', Luke," Amber replied back easily.

It was a bit of an inside joke of theirs, ever since they had heard about the defeat of popular trainer Gary Oak at the hands of Giovanni Masterson, the Viridian City Gym Leader. Apparently, Giovanni had challenged trainers from far and wide to try and defeat his new 'mystery Pokémon'. According to the ads and the tabloids, no one knew what exactly that Pokémon was. However, Giovanni had also offered a prize of 10 million yen to whomever could defeat his 'mystery Pokémon', which had indeed attracted Pokémon trainers – including Gary Oak – from across the globe.

Gary Oak, who had up until that point been a rising star in the Pokémon world, had been thus far undefeated. He'd taken on Giovanni's challenge, and the Viridian gym leader had even allowed the challenger to use not one, but two of his Pokémon in battle. Yet, even then, Gary had suffered a crushing, humiliating defeat when Giovanni's 'mystery Pokémon' had defeated both Gary's Nidoking and Arcanine with one move.

As she grasped her backpack handles, heading on foot towards Old Shore Wharf, she thought about all of the accounts she'd read. It was months ago, of course – and since then, Giovanni had ended his challenge when no contestant could actually defeat said Pokémon – but rumors and talk still spread like wildfire. There were dozens of different stories about what exactly the 'mystery Pokémon' was, and nobody was quite sure what was true, and what wasn't.

From eyewitness accounts given by the trainers who had faced it, two things were certain. One, it appeared to be some sort of bipedal Pokémon, standing on two legs with a tail, and was covered in shiny, metallic armor. Two, it was some sort of Psychic Pokémon, so powerful that it could pick up other Pokémon with its mind and send them flying across the arena. If reports were to be believed, the 'mystery Pokémon' had even defeated a challenger's Alakazam, one of the most powerful known Psychic Pokémon to date.

Just thinking about what kind of Pokémon could have such advanced abilities sent a cold shiver down Amber's spine. For nine years now, she had called herself a Pokémon trainer, traveled the entire Unova region, and even then, she had never even heard or seen a Pokémon like that. The only explanation she could come up with was that it was probably some new species that had just been discovered, and Giovanni just happened to be the one to obtain it. He was, after all, one of the most wealthy and influential men in the entire Kanto region, as well as the most powerful Gym leader.

Her thoughts turned back to her mother, Professor Leona Juniper. From what her mom had told her, a long time ago, she'd used to be a Pokémon researcher, specializing in genetics and the origins of Pokémon. Yet when she'd tried to bring up Giovanni's 'mystery Pokémon' to her mother, her mother seemed to change the subject. Not that she got to talk to her mother much nowadays, seeing as how she seemed to bury herself in her work, but Amber couldn't help but wonder why. A niggling, small, doubtful part of her sensed that her mother seemed to be hiding something…but what? And did she know something about Giovanni's 'mystery Pokémon'?

Amber had been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice when storm clouds began to roll in quickly. A cold, wet drop fell on her arm, bringing her back to reality, and she looked up at the sky. Angry, black clouds now loomed on the horizon, so different from the sunny, blue skies that were present only an hour or two ago.

"Huh…that's weird," Amber remarked, her brow furrowing. "I'd better hurry, or else I'll get soaked."

An uneasy feeling filled the pit of her stomach. Something didn't seem quite right, but she couldn't place her finger on it. Maybe it was how quickly the storm was approaching the area, but she had little to no knowledge of the local climate. For all she knew, they could get storms like this all the time.

Little did she know that someone watching her, high above, as a Fearow flew overhead, the camera lens around its neck zooming in on her every movement...

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _Pokémon_ and all related literary characters are © 1996 - 2014 to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. This is an unauthorized work of fiction, and should not be regarded as canon or real in any way. "Kindred Spirits", and all unrelated characters, are © 2014 to me, and are not be used in any other works of fanfiction not authorized or written by me without my permission.


	3. New Island

**Author's Note: **First off, I would like to send out a huge thank you to Naomi Shihoin, Lavender Crystal of Roses, Antex the Legendary Zoroark, Swirlypasta, and finalaura for reviewing Chapter 2!

Secondly, I would also like to personally thank those who favorited and watched "Kindred Spirits"! If you have not already planned on doing so already, I highly encourage you to review the previous and current chapter (now posted). The more reviews I get, the more morale and motivation I have to write, edit, and update the next chapter(s) sooner! If spinach is reviews, then I'm Popeye: I get pumped to write more chapters when I see new ones being added to my inbox!

That being said, I have to credit Bulbapedia for the Pokemon descriptions. Also, the next chapter is a bit shorter, but only because I had to divide the chapter into two parts because it was getting to be so long. The next chapter is also nearly finished.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 2!

* * *

_**- Kindred Spirits -**_

Chapter 2: New Island

* * *

Rain. It came with a sudden deluge: a light drizzle at first, which Amber didn't really pay any attention to. Within minutes, however, it began to pour. She'd been nearly soaked to the bone through her light trainer's clothes. Seeking shelter, she broke into a run, making a beeline for Old Shore Wharf. It looked like she wasn't alone, either: some meters in front of her were three other Pokémon trainers, accompanied by a Pikachu, as they sprinted towards the same location.

Old Shore Wharf wasn't hard to find. A large, square-shaped building with glass walls, a brown dome, and a watch tower, it sat directly on the waterfront. While it wasn't as tall as the city's other high rises, it was nearly impossible to miss. Amber followed the three trainers in front of her as they ran down the harbor, past the marina, and through the sliding glass doors of the entrance.

Once inside, Amber nearly crashed into the group in front of her. They had come to an abrupt halt. One of the trainers appeared to be shaking the rain off of his jacket, while another one wiped water off of the Pokémon in her arms with a white, pocket towel.

"Togepi's totally soaked!" the female trainer moaned.

"I can't believe how fast the storm came on!" another said.

"Waa!" the third trainer cried, just as the Pikachu shook itself like a wet dog. Water flew everywhere in the vicinity, including onto an already drowned-looking, green-haired trainer.

"Ew!" Amber exclaimed, quickly shielding herself with one arm as the droplets flew across her face. "Watch it! Some of us are already soaked here!"

"Sorry!" the trainer mumbled, looking over his shoulder. "We didn't see you there."

"Well…now I probably smell like wet Pokémon," Amber replied, wiping off her face, slightly disgusted. "I probably should have seen that coming."

"Waaa!" someone else shouted. The next thing she knew, one of the group – a tan, young man with spiky, dark brown hair – was suddenly fawning all over her. There was barely so much as an inch or so between them as he leaned in, examining her face.

"That long, teal hair! That gorgeous face! Those beautiful, violet eyes!" he exclaimed, taking her hand. Amber looked at him, embarrassed; if a sweat drop could form behind her head, it would now. "You must be simply an angel sent from above! Pinch me now, because I must be dreaming!"

Someone pinched him, alright. The female trainer had grabbed the man's ear, forcefully – and painfully, by his cry of surprise – pulled him back.

"Ow! Hey! Ow!"

"Yeah, you wish you were dreaming," the girl muttered, dragging him back to his original place. "Don't mind Brock, he's like that with most girls."

"…how am I not surprised?" Amber replied, chuckling. Her gaze was drawn to the small Pokémon in the girl's arms, which was small, white, and egg-like. It looked back up at Amber with curious eyes.

"If you don't mind me asking," Amber said, pointing to the Pokémon. "What kind of Pokémon is that? I've never seen one like that before. It's so cute!"

The girl seemed to brighten immediately at Amber's words. "This is Togepi, and I'm Misty," the girl introduced. She was very striking, namely because of her hair – it was bright orange, short, and contrasting against her pale skin and pastel-colored clothes. She looked slightly familiar to Amber, but she knew she had never met anyone with that name before. The girl pointed over to the boy with the Pikachu; he had spiky black hair, covered by a baseball cap, and looked somewhat younger than his two companions. "That's Ash and his Pikachu."

"Nice to meet you," Ash said with a smile, then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry about earlier."

"Eh, it's okay. Stuff like that is bound to happen sometimes," Amber responded, then turned back to face Misty. "Especially with how fast that rain came on." Reaching into her fanny pack, Amber was relieved to find that her PokéDex was relatively dry. She pointed it at Misty's Togepi.

"_Togepi,"_ the PokéDex stated. _"The Egg Pokémon. Togepi is imprinted with the first image it sees after it hatches, thinking this is its mother."_

"So I'm guessing that it thinks that you're its mother?" Amber asked Misty.

"That's right," the orange-haired trainer confirmed with a nod. "Togepi is my only Pokémon that isn't a Water type."

"Water type…" Amber repeated, and then her eyes grew wide with recognition. "I know you! You're Misty Waterflower, the Cerulean City gym leader! I've read about you!"

"Yep, that's me," Misty said. "Brock over here is a gym leader, too. He's in charge of the Pewter City gym."

"Most of my Pokémon are Rock-types," Brock said with a grin.

"I may not be a gym leader, but one day, I'm going to become the world's greatest Pokémon master!" Ash piped up, looking excited. "I may not have a specific type of Pokémon, but they're all great battlers, even Squirtle and Bulbasaur."

"Squirtle and Bulbasaur…" Amber echoed. Something tugged at her thoughts with the mention of the two names. They sounded familiar…she knew that they were Kanto starter Pokémon, but there was something else. Something that was just on the cusp of her memories…

However, there was a commotion at the back of the wharf that caught her attention, and Amber turned her gaze to the group of people gathered there. From the looks of it, most of them appeared to be other Pokémon trainers. In a few quick strides, Amber had caught up with the group, standing at the back as she craned her head to get a better view at what was going on.

"The ferry is cancelled?"

"But I've got to get to New Island!"

"Yeah, so do I!"

"What's the big deal? It's only a little rain!"

"It's more than just rain!" the police woman at the forefront – _Officer Jenny_, Amber recognized - said. Officer Jenny raised both hands, as if to push one of the trainers back. Then, she gestured to another lady standing to her right. "Harbor Manager Miranda thinks this could be the worst storm ever!"

"Listen to me!" Miranda - an older woman in a professional dress, heels, and wavy, blue hair - said. Two large, gold hoop earrings hung from her ears, slightly swaying as she spoke. "The prophets have predicted the return of the winds of water. For years I have prayed that mankind would never witness that deadly storm ever again."

"Isn't that just a legend?" Officer Jenny asked.

"The ancient writings tell of the storm wiping out all but a few Pokémon. In their sorrow, the water of their tears somehow restored the lives lost in the storm. But there are no Pokémon tears today," the harbor manager continued, her expression grim. "Just waters which no one can survive."

"And that's why your ferry to New Island's been cancelled!" the officer finished.

"Well, I'm going to New Island anyways!" one trainer retorted, stepping forward. "All my Pokémon are Water-types! We'll just swim over to that palace!"

"I warn you! The waves will be savage!" the harbor manager pleaded. "You'll never make it!"

"And besides, if you tried that stunt, and your Pokémon got hurt, you'd be out of luck, because we had to close down the Pokémon Center!" Officer Jenny added, glaring at the defiant trainer.

"How come?" Ash asked. Slightly surprised at the sound of the young trainer's voice, Amber looked around, and saw that Ash and his Pikachu had made it to the front of the crowd.

"Because the nurse in charge of the Center disappeared last month. And if any of you see her, please contact me at once!" Officer Jenny replied. She pointed to the other side of the room. "That's a picture of her over there on the wall."

"Disappeared?" Amber whispered, glancing over to the photo on the wall. That was so odd. Why would any one of the Nurse Joy family that ran the Pokémon Centers just vanish into thin air? Especially when trainers and injured Pokémon needed her help?

"Mm. She's cute," Amber heard Brock comment, watching as the gym leader leaned in closer to examine the picture. "Huh? …she sure looks familiar."

Squinting at the photo of Nurse Joy again, Amber noticed that Brock was right. She did look familiar. Even from this far away, Amber could see the telltale pink hair, pale skin, and white uniform of the Pokémon caretaker. Then again, she was one of the many members of the Nurse Joy family, all of whom looked very similar to one another. Sometimes, she could barely even tell them apart.

There was more ruckus, however, as a three of the trainers at the front of the gathering managed to push their way outside. Through the glass walls, and against the backdrop of the angry, gray sky, Amber watched as one released a large, bird Pokémon from a Pokéball. A second trainer released a very large, intimidating-looking, sea snake-like Pokémon - _Gyarados_, she recognized - while a third released a different kind of Water-type Pokémon. All three hopped on their respective mounts, and set off towards the island, while a fourth followed suit, releasing and hopping on her bird Pokémon – a Fearow.

"They're leaving!" Amber exclaimed. Pushing her way through the crowd, Amber managed to make her way outside as well. Why hadn't she thought of it before? She could just use Braviary, her flying-type Pokémon, to fly over to New Island!

Just as she reached for Braviary's Pokéball to release it, however, she heard running footsteps behind her. She glanced over her shoulder.

"Come back here, or I'll place you under arrest!" Officer Jenny yelled at the departing Pokémon trainers. "Come ba—_agh_ !" The officer gasped as the strong winds tore her hat from her head.

"Some trainers have no fear," the harbor manager, who was next to Officer Jenny, commented quietly.

"Hmm?" the officer asked.

"To them, this is just one more challenge," the harbor manager continued. "They follow their hearts. That is what sets them apart, and will make them Pokémon Masters."

"Good luck to all of you."

Just then, Amber heard more footsteps against the wet concrete. Turning, the green-haired trainer aw Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu approaching the edge of the docks. They stopped just before the edge, and Ash's hand balled into a determined, pumped fist.

"The world's greatest Pokémon Master is waiting for me!" Ash exclaimed. "Let's use our Pokémon to get to that island!"

"_Pika!"_ Ash's Pikachu agreed.

"Ash, our Pokémon aren't strong enough! They can't handle giant waves like this!" Misty pointed out, her voice concerned.

Ash's face fell, and his arm dropped back to his side. "…guess you're right."

"_Pika pika…"_ Pikachu added, its ears drooping.

"Hey, guys," Amber greeted. "Your Pokémon can't handle this? Maybe you can borrow one of mine. My Carracosta is a Water-type Pokémon. It can fit a few people on its back."

"Really?" Ash asked, looking excited. His expression, however, soon sported a frown. "Thanks, but if we're using your Pokémon, then how will you get to New Island?"

"That's easy," Amber replied. "I'll just hop on my Braviary. I've already taught it how to Fly."

Just as Ash opened his mouth to answer, out of the corner of her eye, Amber saw a flash of brown. Turning her gaze again, she saw it was a wooden boat, old-fashioned looking. However, inside the boat were two very oddly-dressed people, clad in furs and horned helmets. The boat rowed towards them, and briefly stopped, bobbing atop the waves.

"You vant to cross, maybe?" one of the rowers, a woman, offered. "We take you, ya? Ve Vikings are used to big vaves. We get you to New Island faster than you can say 'fahrvergnügen'."

"Vikings, huh?" Ash queried. "Well, if you can get us to New Island that fast, let's go!" He turned back to Amber, looking sheepish again. "Sorry, Amber. Thanks for offering to let us use your Pokémon, but we need to get to New Island as fast as possible…"

"I understand," Amber responded, holding up one hand. "No worries. In fact, I'll join you."

"Uh," began the female Viking uncertainly. "I don't know if ve have the room—"

"Nonsense!" Amber interjected. "Your boat is clearly big enough for all of us. Plus…" Amber reached into her fanny pack, retrieving a brown-colored, plain wallet. Cracking it open, she pulled several bills from inside, offering them to the woman. "I'll pay you two thousand yen for all of us. More, if you can get all of us to New Island as fast as possible."

The woman lunged forward, practically snatching the bills out of Amber's hand. "Very good doing business with you! Now, everybody get in! Ve don't want to vaste any time!"

So the four Pokémon trainers clambered inside the boat. No sooner had they seated themselves, the two Vikings pushed off, rowing the boat towards New Island – and the storm that surrounded it. At first, Amber had decided to take her Braviary, but when the 'Vikings' had showed up, offering passage to Ash, Misty, and Brock, she had changed her mind. From what she could remember, Vikings hadn't existed for hundreds of years…and yet now, two of them just happened to conveniently show up when the other three trainers needed passage? Additionally, when the female Viking had offered free passage to Ash, Misty, and Brock, but seemed uncertain at Amber offering to go with them, that raised a red flag to the green-haired trainer. Something was definitely up. Needless to say, Amber had quickly decided to see just what these 'Vikings'- if they were even that – were up to.

Even though she wasn't rich by any means, she had just enough money left over from her Unova battle winnings to bribe the female Viking into letting her board. Two thousand yen was a lot to pay for a boat ride, but if her suspicions proved to be true, it might very well be worth the price.

"Stroke! Stroke!" the female Viking said. Ever since they had disembarked, the rower had repeated the word like a mantra, over and over again. It was beginning to get on Amber's nerves, along with the slightly fishy smell emanating from the Vikings themselves. Then, the Viking muttered something under her breath, but Amber couldn't catch what she said. Meanwhile, the four Pokémon trainers clung as best they could to their seats and the edge of the boat, amid the roiling waters beneath them.

"I didn't know Vikings still existed!" Brock commented.

"They mostly live in Minnesota!" Ash said, grinning as he held onto his baseball cap.

"Something's not right," Misty added. Amber felt relief that she wasn't the only one to suspect something was up. "Are you sure this boat's safe?"

"_Pika!"_

"Don't vorry, this ship vont let you down…don't get upset!" the female Viking responded, a bit too enthusiastically to Amber's ears. Then, both Vikings returned to rowing, chanting new words with each stroke. "Heave, ho…heave, ho…"

"It's alright, Togepi," Misty said, soothing the baby Pokémon. Togepi had been placed in Misty's bag, most of the fabric covering the Pokémon's shell to keep it dry. "We're gonna be okay."

Suddenly, before them, a huge wall of water rose. It didn't look that big at first, but within seconds, it towered above them.

"Guys, look out!" Amber called. All of the people in the boat looked up. They were about to hit the massive, tsunami wave! The entire group started screaming as a long, dark shadow fell over the boat. Amber managed to close her eyes just as icy, cold, and salty seawater plunged on top of them. The green-haired trainer clung to the side of the boat, and miraculously, managed not to wash overboard.

Coughing, Amber opened her eyes. It appeared that Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu had all managed to do the same, though they were all now soaked – again. _And just when I managed to dry off somewhat_, Amber mentally lamented. But where were the…

"Those aren't Vikings!" Ash suddenly cried out. "It's Team Rocket!"

Amber turned, and nearly gasped when she saw that the Vikings, indeed, hadn't been Vikings at all. Their disguises had washed off, carried away by the ocean. They were now clad in what looked like white-and-black uniforms, complete with a red 'R' on the front. They were also accompanied by a Meowth – a bipedal, cat-like Pokémon – which Amber had previously thought was just decoration on the front of the boat. It was, however, very much alive.

"I should have known there was something fishy about them, besides the way they smell!" Brock accused. The two Rockets got to their feet, despite the bottom of the boat being flooded, and took what appeared to be pose stances.

"Ha! Prepare for trouble!" the female Rocket began.

"Make it double!" the male Rocket added.

"Forget the motto!" the Meowth suddenly exclaimed. Amber would normally be dumbfounded that a Pokémon could talk, but Meowth's next words revealed their very real predicament. "We're gonna have to wait—aaaahhh!"

Suddenly, another, massive wave crashed over their boat. Water clouded her vision as Amber felt her body plunge into the ocean. Panic surged through her, and she clenched her jaw, holding as much breath she had left as she could. The salt water stung her eyes, but she had no other choice: she knew that if she didn't open them, she could drown. With a massive effort, Amber managed to open her eyes underwater, fumbling at her belt. When she felt that all of her Pokéballs were still attached, she felt a massive wave of relief and hope. She unclasped one in particular, releasing the Pokémon inside with a jet of white light.

A large, blue-colored sea turtle-like Pokémon appeared. Its stomach was pale blue, while it had deep blue, rocky structures encrusted on its face, back, and the sides of its chest, forming a "mask" and shell. Its flippers were long, with black finger-like protrusions at the tips. The Pokémon easily swam through the water towards Amber, the green-haired trainer – still holding her breath – managed to grasp onto its shell. The Pokémon swam to the surface, allowing Amber to get a good gasp of air before another wave crashed over them.

The turtle Pokémon took Amber back underwater, and Amber held as much breath as she could. After almost a minute of swimming, the trainer knew she was running out of time – and oxygen. With each of her Pokémon's large, sweeping strokes, she could feel her lungs burning. Just when she thought she might start turning blue, the creature broke the surface of the water. Amber immediately exhaled, gasping air into her lungs.

After a moment of taking time to breathe, Amber noticed something very strange. Instead of the storm, the air was clear and calm, devoid of any clouds. The water, too, was as still as glass. Looking around, Amber realized with a start that she and her Pokémon appeared to be surrounded by storm clouds all around. This was the 'eye of the storm', and at the center of it, Amber saw the towering edifice of New Island. The trainer gasped when she saw the massive mansion there, which was so large that it took up nearly the entire island itself. As if sensing her thoughts, the sea turtle Pokémon underneath her began to swim towards it.

Against the dark, stormy backdrop of the hurricane, the mansion – which, to Amber's surprise, looked to be completely made and crafted out of metal – looked foreboding. Lights, both yellow and green, emanated with soft glows from its windows, and as series of windmills turned, the latter of which Amber assumed powered the mansion's electricity.

As she and her Pokémon neared the island, the very architecture of the structure sent a shiver down Amber's spine; though every surface was smooth, the design looked to be warped, and of a strange, creative style that was unfamiliar to her. The base of the mansion looked to be styled similar to a coliseum, and on top of it was built a long, arching tower that also looked to double as a lighthouse. A series of four windmills also were built into the coliseum-like structure below, connected by bits of curved metal that made the entire building look almost like a crown.

"Well, it looks like Lance may have a heightened sense of ego," Amber commented dryly to no one in particular. "I mean, I know he's one of the strongest Pokémon trainers in the world, but c'mon. Building an enormous house, and modeling it on a crown? Really? Kind of boasting a bit there, don't you think…I wonder if he's compensating for something."

If she thought about it, the mansion's very existence perplexed Amber even more. From what she had heard of and read about Lance, the dragon master certainly had no sense of hubris regarding his mastery of Pokémon training. Unlike what was clearly displayed by the mansion's presence, Amber had heard that Lance was actually quite humble; then again, she'd never even met the man in person, so how would she know?

Musing to herself, Amber considered her thoughts as her Pokémon swam. More shadows soon fell over the duo; the island itself had appeared to be nearly floating. Bits of rock – and what Amber assumed were probably also hiding metal beams – appeared to hold the island up of their own accord, forming caverns underneath. Her Pokémon now swam into the caverns, and Amber was surprised to see that there was also a dock. A black, curved lantern hung over the water, illuminating the darkness, as a small waterfall fed into a pond next to a curved, winding staircase.

Standing on the dock was a woman. Amber recognized her as the same one from the invitation hologram – albeit normal-sized now – and the lady was holding another, hand-held lantern in one hand. The lantern, a traditional gas-lit one, glowed an ethereal-looking blue. A shiver ran down Amber's spine when she also realized that the woman – whoever she was – must have been waiting for her. Yet, deep down, Amber could feel the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that something…didn't seem quite right. Not only did the woman seem very familiar to Amber for some reason, but she seemed to stare ahead into space, her eyes and expression hollow and blank.

As Amber and her Pokémon grew close to the dock, the woman slowly turned her gaze to them. Meeting the woman's eyes, Amber felt another cold shudder. The lady stared at her with the same, vapid look. It was as though she was staring into the eyes of a corpse: glassy, apathetic, and lifeless. The woman said nothing as Amber reached out towards the wooden planks, pulling herself up with the help of her Pokémon. Her clothes and hair were wet, salty, matted, soggy, as well as heavy and uncomfortable on her body, but she stood up straight nonetheless. Amber greeted the woman before her with a nod, but received no response.

Hearing a noise in the water behind her, Amber turned. Ash, Brock, and Misty had also appeared, riding upon their own water-type Pokémon, and looked equally worse for wear. They, too, helped themselves and each other onto the dock, along with their Pokémon. Much to Amber's surprise, Ash had a Squirtle, a rare, Water-type Pokémon usually given by Professor Oak to trainers just starting their Pokémon trainer journeys in the Kanto region. However, Amber remembered that Ash mentioned before that he had a Squirtle, as well as a Bulbasaur. The green-haired trainer smiled at the little, turtle-like Pokémon; her own, very different turtle-like Pokémon towered above Ash's Squirtle, as well as Misty's star-shaped, Water-type Pokémon.

"Woah! What kind of Pokémon is that?" Ash asked, clearly surprised. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a wet – but seemingly undamaged – PokéDex, pointing it towards Amber's larger Pokémon. _"Carracosta, the Prototurtle Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tirtouga. Living in the sea and on land, Carracosta has incredibly strong jaw, and is capable of destroying a giant boulder with one powerful slap."_

"My master bids you welcome to New Island," the woman greeted them all. Just like her expression and eyes, her voice was equally as empty and hollow. "Will you kindly present your invitation?"

"Uh…" Ash began. He fumbled in his pockets again, putting away his PokéDex, and taking out his invitation. "Here it is, Miss!"

Holding out the electronic device, a tiny, mirror image of the woman formed atop it, speaking in a robotic tone. _"The bearers of this invitation may be admitted to New Island." _

"I knew I recognized that face!" Brock suddenly exclaimed. Amber glanced to Brock's face; he looked excited and pleased at the same time.

"What?" the woman asked, a hint of surprise in her voice. Amber was almost taken aback to hear the one, tiny emotion trickle into the lady's tone.

"Aren't you the nurse who's missing from the treatment center?" Brock asked.

"You do look just like her," Misty added.

It was then that Amber realized just what Brock was talking about. The woman was, indeed, the Nurse Joy missing from the Pokémon Center! It had to be her – aside from the hat, she looked identical to her in facial features. However, the woman herself disagreed.

"I fear you are mistaken," the woman replied. This time, her voice was one again monotone. All traces of emotion had vanished from it, just as quickly as they had seeped in. "I have always dwelt on this island, and I have always been in the service of my master. Please, come this way." She paused, turning her back to them. "My master awaits your arrival."

Something was definitely wrong. Amber was certain that this woman was the missing Nurse Joy, or at least one of the Joy family. But why would any one of the Nurse Joys tell them such a thing? For one, no Nurse Joy would ever turn her back on helping sick, injured Pokémon and trainers in need. Yet this particular Joy seemed to do the opposite, turning her back even to them. She didn't even offer to help them or their Pokémon, or to help get them to safety and dried off, something that Amber knew that any other Nurse Joy would do.

"Excuse me, miss," Amber said. The woman once again turned, her blank eyes meeting Amber's.

"Yes?"

"I heard that this island was haunted. Is that true?" Amber inquired.

"What do you mean?" the woman asked. A small hint of befuddlement seemed to pervade her voice this time, laced with what Amber swore was suspicion.

"Someone told me, several years ago, that there was some sort of explosion," Amber explained. "That a lot of people died—"

"That person was also mistaken," the woman interrupted brusquely. "My master and I have always been the only people to dwell on this island." She paused again, once again turning away from them. "Now, if you please, come this way. My master does not like to be kept waiting."

So the four trainers and their Pokémon followed the woman up the winding, stone staircase up to the upper levels of the island. As they ascended the staircase, however, Amber's eyes couldn't help but dart around. The stairs had a worrying lack of bars, and if one stumbled or fell, they could easily tumble down – to possible serious injury or worse. It was as though the builders had forgotten to install this safety feature; for Lance to have forgotten it was even more troubling.

Meanwhile, the woman kept up her pace, and Amber did her best to keep up with her and the group. Amid the eerie light of the woman's lantern, bathing the cavern in blue tones, the purple-clad lady stared straight ahead. If Amber had a slight, uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach before, now, it grew more and more uncomfortable with each step that they took. It felt as though, with each footstep, she could feel the static in the air grow heavier – pressing down on her, pushing her back. Whatever it was, the presence sent the hairs on the back of her neck standing, and her skin prickling. Something on her senses told her that something was coming – something that filled her with a mix of bewilderment, dread, and anticipation.

Yet, glancing around at her companions, they seemed completely unaffected. Puzzled, she looked at the woman, and noticed the same. Was she the only one experiencing this? Perhaps, she considered, she was suffering from exhaustion, perhaps even hypothermia. Her cold, damp clothes clung to her skin, clammy and covered in goose bumps. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her frame, rubbing her arms as she tried to warm herself.

After several minutes, they reached the top of the staircase. Two looming, steel-gray doors served as an edifice. With a loud creak, they parted slowly before them, revealing another, short staircase – and the warm glow of light. The four trainers and their leader ascended the next flight of stairs, and Amber felt wonderful, flooding relief when she saw a large, spacious hall. Three other trainers and their Pokémon were already there, seated at a table, and were dining with their Pokémon.

Feeling her eyes draw to the appetizers, Amber felt her mouth water – and her stomach rumble – when she saw the fresh fruits and vegetables there. Clutching her side in embarrassment, she realized that it must have been some time since lunch, and she was absolutely starving.

"Now that you are here, all trainers worthy of an audience with my master are present," the woman announced.

"Huh?" Ash commented. "There are only three of them!"

"Aren't we going to wait for the others?" Misty inquired.

Amber, too, felt surprised that there were only three trainers. Hadn't there been four that she'd seen set off? Where, then, was the trainer who had decided to Fly on her Fearow over to the island? The green-haired trainer could only assume that the Fearow's trainer had never reached them. The thought of what could have happened to said trainer was disturbing and worrying. Amber had to assume that something had happened to her.

"What happened to the other trainer?" Amber added. "I saw someone Fly over here on her Fearow. Something's not right. If she'd not here, then something might have happened to her. She could be in trouble right now. We should go look for her."

"Only the trainers capable of braving the storm have proven themselves worthy in my master's eyes," the lady responded. Then, the woman turned her cold, blank eyes slowly to meet Amber's. "The ocean is vast, as is the storm. The trainer you speak of likely could not handle it with her Pokémon, and went back."

"Do you mean that storm was some kind of test?" Brock asked. Briefly pulled away from her thoughts of hunger, Amber realized that Brock had a point. It did seem like quite the coincidence that a massive hurricane would suddenly appear right before they were all supposed to come to New Island…however, how could anyone, let alone Lance, conjure up a typhoon? It was impossible.

Or, perhaps she was taking the woman's words the wrong way. Of course making a storm just to test them all was implausible. The lady probably meant, she realized, that her master deemed the storm itself to be a test of them all; no more, no less. Besides, the woman did have a point. It was entirely in the realm of possibility that the Fearow trainer had deemed the storm too savage, and returned to Old Sore Wharf.

"Please release your Pokémon from your Pokéballs and join the others," the woman continued. "It will not be long before my master's intentions are clear."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _Pokémon_ and all related literary characters are © 1996 - 2014 to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. This is an unauthorized work of fiction, and should not be regarded as canon or real in any way. "Kindred Spirits", and all unrelated characters, are © 2014 to me, and are not be used in any other works of fanfiction not authorized or written by me without my permission.


	4. Mewtwo

**Author's Note: **First off, I would like to send out a huge thank you to Antex the Legendary Zoroark and kitsunelover300 for reviewing the last chapter! Happy Belated Birthday to Antex - this chapter is dedicated to you! Also, I lied: this chapter actually ended up coming out longer than the last one. So, enjoy the added content!

Secondly, I would also like to personally thank those who favorited and watched "Kindred Spirits"! If you have not already planned on doing so already, I highly encourage you to review the previous and current chapter (now posted).

I have to admit, I'm a bit disappointed that I seem to be getting less reviews for my newer chapters. I'm not sure why this is, and it worries me as a writer. If I stop getting reviews, it demoralizes me a bit, and lessens my will and morale to continue writing the rest of the story – to press on to complete it. Still, I am very grateful for the two reviews that I did receive. Both of them helped me to finish up this particular chapter, in preparation for the mostly original chapter I have coming up next. I know I have mostly followed the current story/dialogue of M01 so far, but that soon will change, as the story is taking a different direction.

I won't hold the story hostage or anything for reviews, but I do encourage you to leave a review, no matter how small. If I stop getting reviews altogether, I will probably discontinue this particular tale for good. I put a lot of hard work, revising, editing, and more into each chapter, viewing and writing and viewing again, just to make sure my work is up to scratch. When I don't get reviews, or see a dip in reviews, it makes me feel wonder if I'm doing something wrong, or if people just don't like the story.

To clarify an important aspect in this tale: As Antex asked me, I will clarify this to everyone reading the story. All PokéDexes can recognize and have information on all Pokémon, except for legendaries and artificially created Pokémon. This is to help some of my non-Pokémon fans and readers learn a bit more on each Pokémon, as well as the trainer characters themselves.

* * *

_**- Kindred Spirits -**_

Chapter 3: Mewtwo

* * *

After the servant had left them to their own devices, Amber and Ash reached for their Pokéballs. Both trainers released a few of their Pokémon, but before they could release them all, they were interrupted by an impatient voice.

"What took you guys so long?" one trainer asked. He was seated closest to them at the table; his form slouched and relaxed as he petted the head of his bird Pokémon.

"Uh, how'd you get here?" Ash asked.

"I decided to fly over," the trainer responded, turning to pet his large, avian Pokémon. Its glossy plumage was brown with a cream underbelly. On its head, there was a red and yellow crest that is nearly as long as its body and its fan-like tail feathers were also red. Its beak and legs were pink, and it had black markings around its eyes.

"It was easy. Hurricane wings are a breeze for Pidgeot here." He paused, then waved his arm towards a group of Pokémon by the wall. "Hey guys, say hello."

The gathering – probably the trainer's Pokémon – greeted them in response. Amber recognized a few of them, but others looked unfamiliar to her. Yet something told her that it might be a bit inappropriate to take out her PokéDex at the moment, especially since their host was due to arrive soon.

"And who are you?" Amber asked the trainer curiously. The young man turned to her, meeting her eyes with a confident smirk.

"The name's Corey."

Suddenly, there were rumbles from another group of Pokémon by a large fountain in the room.

"Those are my Pokémon!" another trainer – one from before, that Amber recognized – spoke up. He, too, was seated comfortably in his chair, smiling smugly as he crossed his arms. "It was no problem getting through that storm. I rode over on Gyarados' back."

He pointed over to a gigantic, serpentine Pokémon resting in the fountain. It was mostly blue, with a yellow underbelly, and matching yellow spots along its body. It had a three-pointed, dark blue crest on its head, and four white fins down its back. Its mouth was very large and gaping, bearing four canine teeth, and it had one barbel on each side of its face.

"Hey, isn't that a Nidoqueen?" Amber asked. She looked over to one of the trainer's other Pokémon, which stood out slightly from the rest. It was a large, bipedal blue Pokémon with distinct reptilian features. Its lower jaw, chest plates and lower torso were cream-colored. It also had a horn on its forehead, narrow black eyes, and large, spiny ears. There were spikes running down the length of its back, and its body was encased in extremely hard scales. The latter looked to be excellent protection from any attack, and it had a thick, powerful-looking tail.

"Yep. Nina over there was one of my very first Pokémon," he responded. "My name's Fergus, by the way."

"But Nidoqueen's a Ground-and-Poison type," Amber pointed out, though not unkindly. "Weren't you the guy who said all of his Pokémon were Water-types?"

"Well, most of them are. You got a problem with that?" Fergus countered. He shot a wary glance at Amber.

"No, no!" Amber said, holding her arms up. She waved over to her own group of Pokémon. "My Excadrill is a Ground-type, too."

"Excadrill, huh? I've never even heard of that Pokémon," Fergus replied, looking over at Amber's Pokémon as the one in question stepped forward.

It had a dark brown body, with diagonal, red splotches. Three matching, red markings were on its front, with two under each arm. It had short legs with small, narrow feet, each containing three toes, while bearing a small, white face that was long and thin, tipped by its pink nose. Its eyes were set back, on either side of the bridge of the nose, and under them, on each side, were two thin, red stripes. A large blade roughly twice as large as its face extended from its forehead. The top of the blade contained two smaller blades, resembling fins. Its arms were thick, and had three large blades instead of fingers, with two smaller blades on top of the middle ones. On its knees, halfway down its arm, and just behind where its forehead meets its face, were small, red spots.

"_Exca, Excadrill!"_ the Pokémon spoke indignantly, stepping forward as it waved its claws.

"Hey, that Pokémon looks sort of like my Sandslash!" Corey exclaimed.

"Yes, well," Amber began, tucking a stray strand of green hair behind her ear. "Excadrill and Sandslash are two species of Pokémon descended from the same common ancestor. Excadrill came about in Unova, while Sandslash appeared in Kanto. In scientific terms, however, they could be considered 'cousins'."

Even though she prided herself on her mother's homeschooling in science and biology, she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by how other trainers tended to stare at her when she expressed her knowledge. Even now, she could feel heat color her cheeks as Neesha, Corey, Fergus - and even Ash, Brock, and Misty – all turned to stare at her. Even the woman in purple, who had so far not seem interested in anything, turned her gaze to her.

"Well…that's just what my mom says," she quickly added. "She's a Pokémon professor in the Unova region."

"Really?" Corey asked, leaning forward in interest. "Who?"

"You may not have heard of her," Amber explained, "But her name is Professor Leona Juniper."

"_The_ Professor Juniper?" Corey replied, looking excited. "No way!"

"Well, not _the_ Professor Juniper," Amber added, rubbing the back of her head. "That would be my aunt, Professor Aurea Juniper. They're sisters, you see. Just like the Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny families, my family are all Pokémon researchers and professors."

"Excadrill, huh?" Ash muttered, taking out his own PokéDex as he waved it towards Excadrill.

"_Excadrill,"_ Ash's PokéDex began. _"The Subterrene Pokémon, and the evolved form of Drilbur. Excadrill can dig maze-like underground tunnels for over 100 meters and is powerful enough to cut through thick iron plates using its steel claws."_

"I'm Neesha. You haven't met my Pokémon," the third trainer, a brown-haired young woman, piped up. "Over there!"

She was accompanied by a Pokémon that Amber recognized to be a Wigglytuff. The Pokémon looked like a pink blob with stubby arms and legs. There was a fluffy, curled tuft of fur on its head; it had long, rabbit-like ears and large, blue eyes; and it was covered in pink fur with a white underbelly and ear tips. Neesha pointed over to yet another group of Pokémon on the opposite side of the hall.

"_Wiggly wiggly, Wigglytuff!"_ Neesha's Wigglytuff said happily, running over to Neesha's group of Pokémon.

Suddenly, the lights in the room dimmed. There was an almost ominous feeling about the darkened space. The only light that remained was a large spotlight, illuminating the grand, spiral staircase in the center of the hall.

"You are about to meet my master," the purple-clad woman announced, turning to the spotlight. "The time has come for your encounter with the greatest Pokémon master on Earth."

Then, a figure began to descend slowly from the ceiling. Amid the bright lights, it was dark, silhouetted; from this distance, Amber couldn't tell who – or what – it was. As the figure descended, however, Amber felt the static charge in the air from before return – only this time, it grew stronger with each passing second.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"I dunno," Amber murmured.

Meanwhile, one of the Pokémon Amber had released – a Chandelure – seemed to fade slightly. Turning as its flickering, purple lights illuminated the dark space, the Ghost Pokémon drifted to the floor, phasing right through it.

* * *

All of the trainers' eyes were riveted on the figure as it descended, gradually coming into view.

When the figure's feet had finally touched the floor, Amber could tell that it was some sort of bipedal Pokémon. What kind of Pokémon it was, however, she couldn't tell. Feeling another shiver down her spine, Amber realized that the Pokémon looked almost humanoid in some of its features, while others were quite feline.

It was primarily gray with a long, purple tail, and on top of its head were two short, blunt horns. A tube-like structure extended from the back of its skull to the top of its spine, bypassing its neck. It had a defined, human-like chest and shoulders, which almost resembled a breastplate. The three digits on each of its hands and feet had spherical tips, but also looked human-like. One of its more animalistic features was a tail, thick at the base, but thinning before ending in a small bulb.

The Pokémon looked slowly around the room, surveying them with its cold, violet eyes. The eyes, Amber realized, were so much like a human's that it was uncanny.

"Yes," the purple-garbed woman explained. "The world's greatest Pokémon master is also the most powerful Pokémon on Earth. This is the ruler of New Island, and soon, the whole world…Mewtwo."

"Mewtwo?" Ash echoed, looking slightly confused.

Almost unconsciously, the green-haired trainer pulled out her PokéDex, flipping it open. Strangely, there was a moment of silence.

"_Pokémon unknown,"_ the PokéDex finally stated. _"No available data."_

"No data?" Amber replied.

"Mewtwo was not born of Pokémon, but created," the woman responded. "Once his plan is complete, the world will be his. You must give up. My master is the ultimate Pokémon. He cannot be defeated. You don't stand a chance."

"A Pokémon can't be a Pokémon master!" Fergus shouted, jumping up angrily from his seat. "No way!"

'_Quiet, human,'_ spoke a deep, masculine, and yet very human voice, at the same time as his servant's. However, much to Amber's shock, it wasn't a verbally spoken, physical voice. The Pokémon's lips hadn't moved at all. With a start, Amber realized that Mewtwo had to be telepathic. He was speaking to them all in their minds! _'From now on,_ I_ am the one that makes the rules.'_

That voice…it was one Amber had never heard before. Yet there was something about it, and Mewtwo's presence, that seemed so very, terribly familiar. Different, something in her brain told her…but familiar…almost like a childhood friend she had known a long, long time ago, and his voice had changed while growing up. At the same time, however, the sheer power that seemed to be radiating from Mewtwo's figure sent cold, terrifying fear through her. Amber knew that she had never even seen such a Pokémon before, much less heard it speak. Another part of her felt mad, racking her brain for a memory that she knew couldn't possibly be there.

"How's it talking?" one of their group asked.

"It's psychic!" another replied.

But this wasn't the time for thought. In an instant, an ethereal, blue glow – the same color as the servant's lantern – surrounded Fergus's frame. He lifted up into the air, much to his startled cries, and was flung across the room! His body went sailing through the air, landing with a splash in the same fountain that his Gyarados was in.

"Fergus!" Amber shouted. Yet, to her surprise, the Pokémon trainer seemed to be fine. He got back on his feet quickly, his face twisting into one of absolute rage.

"We'll show you!" Fergus shouted defiantly. He pointed towards Mewtwo. "Let's go, Gyarados!" The Pokémon rumbled eagerly in response, stretching to its full, towering height.

"Gyarados, Hyper Beam attack!" Fergus ordered. The sea snake-like Pokémon obeyed, tilting its head back as a sphere of rainbow, bright energy formed between its open jaws. In seconds, the sphere had formed into a multicolored laser, blasting its way towards Mewtwo.

Just as the Hyper Beam attack was about to strike him, Mewtwo raised his arm. The attack deflected, as though by an invisible shield.

"A Barrier attack!" Amber gasped. True to the defensive counterattack, Gyarados's Hyper Beam was redirected at the Pokémon. Hitting Gyarados with force, the challenger was flung forcefully into the wall. When the dust had cleared, the Pokémon's enormous, limp body crashed into the pool.

"Gyarados!" Fergus cried, running over to his injured Gyarados.

'_Child's play,' _Mewtwo said airily. Turning his violet gaze to his servant, he waved his arm. _'Your usefulness has ended.'_

The woman's eyes suddenly widened. With a weak cry, the orbs rolled up back into her head as she fainted. Lunging forward, Brock managed to catch her in his arms just before she hit the floor. Meanwhile, the woman's hat tumbled from her head, revealing a head of familiar, pink hair.

"Nurse Joy!" Brock exclaimed. Slowly, Nurse Joy began to come to, moving her touch her forehead as she groaned.

"Where am I?" she asked, confused. She looked around slowly. "And how in the world did I get here?"

'_You have been under my control,' _Mewtwo said.

"Huh?" Nurse Joy uttered.

'_I transported you here from the Pokémon Center. Your knowledge of Pokémon physiology proved useful for my plan, and now I have cleansed your tiny, human brain of memories from the past few weeks,' _Mewtwo explained.

"Who are you?" Brock demanded.

'_I am the new ruler of this world, the master of humans and Pokémon alike,' _the psychic Pokémon responded.

"You're just a bully!" Misty accused.

"_Pika!"_ Ash's Pikachu agreed.

'_You humans are a dangerous species. You brought me into this world with no purpose but to be your slave,'_ Mewtwo added coldly. Once again, he turned his icy glare to look at the humans. _'But now, I have my own purpose. My storm will create my own world…by destroying yours.'_

"So you hate all humans?" Brock concluded. "And you're going to destroy us to save Pokémon."

'_No,'_ Mewtwo said, shaking his head. _'Your Pokémon will not be spared. They have disgraced themselves by serving humans. Those Pokémon are nothing but slaves.'_

"_Pika! Pika, pika!"_ Ash's Pikachu protested.

'_So,'_ Mewtwo replied, turning his violet gaze to the yellow mouse Pokémon. _'You say I am wrong? That you are not this human's servant, you are his friend?'_

"_Pika,"_ Pikachu affirmed with a nod.

'_You are as pathetic as the rest,'_ Mewtwo added callously, raising his arm.

"_Pika!"_ Pikachu cried in surprise. Another blue aura had surrounded it, lifting it into the air. The yellow mouse Pokémon flailed, but to no avail.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried. Lunging to the side, he managed to catch Pikachu just as the Pokémon sailed past him. Pulled back by the force of Mewtwo's attack, however, the two skidded across the floor.

'_Humans and Pokémon can never be friends,'_ Mewtwo said, his voice just as icy as before.

"Ash, are you okay?" Misty called, running over to her friend. She helped Ash to his feet.

"Don't pick on Pikachu!" Ash told the psychic Pokémon before them, leveling his gaze at Mewtwo.

"If you are a Pokémon, there's no reason I can't capture you!" Corey challenged, rising from his seat. He waved his arm, signaling one of his Pokémon forward. "Go, Rhyhorn!"

The Pokémon in question pawed at the ground eagerly. It was a rhinoceros-like creature with a body covered in gray, rocky plates. Its underside and rear were smooth, and it had four short legs with two claws on each foot. It had a triangular head with narrow, red eyes, two fangs protruding from its upper jaw, and small, and triangular openings on the upper sides. A spiked ridge ran along its back, and it had a single, short horn on the tip of its snout.

"No!" Amber called. "Don't—!" Yet it was too late. Corey's Rhyhorn had already begun to charge at Mewtwo.

The challenger thundered towards Mewtwo. Just as Rhyhorn was about to collide with Mewtwo, the latter Pokémon's eyes glowed blue. Rhyhorn's heavy, bulky frame was raised into the air, immobilized, as the Pokémon flailed its limbs in futility. In a second, Mewtwo tossed the other Pokémon to the side, like it was nothing. Corey's Rhyhorn slid across the table, and crashed into the floor.

"No! Rhyhorn!" Corey shouted, running over to his injured Pokémon.

'_Fools,'_ Mewtwo snorted. _'Your Pokémon attacks cannot weaken me. My powers are too great. No trainer can conquer me.'_

"Then you won't mind proving it in a real match!" Ash countered.

'_Is that a challenge?'_ Mewtwo replied, seemingly interested. His violet eyes focused on Ash.

"You bet it is!" Ash added.

For a moment, Mewtwo closed his eyes. The psychic Pokémon seemed to be concentrating on something. When he opened them again, his eyes glowed a solid, eerie blue, before the light ultimately faded to their original, violet color.

Then, three round-shaped, large holes in the floor in front of Mewtwo began to descend to a deeper level in the mansion. After a few minutes, they returned – and this time, they certainly weren't empty.

On each of the round, rising platforms sat a different Pokémon.

'_Like most Pokémon trainers, I, too, began with Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur,'_ Mewtwo explained. _'But for their evolved forms, I used their genetic material to clone even more powerful copies.'_

"Copies!" Neesha exclaimed.

"They're clones!" Corey added.

Amber had immediately recognized all three of the evolved starters: Venusaur, Blastoise, and Charizard, respectively. All three looked identical to their regular forms, yet different: the Charizard had dark, red stripes on its back; the Blastoise had green swaths under its eyes, and dark brown accents on its shell; and the Venusaur had light, green splotches on its skin, and its flower looked wilted.

Venusaur was the final evolved form of Bulbasaur; Blastoise, the final evolved form of Squirtle; and Charizard, the final evolved form of Charmander. All three could be evolved from the starters given by Professor Oak to young Pokémon trainers beginning their journeys in the Kanto region. Unlike those trainers, however, there was one, clear difference between them and Mewtwo.

"You can't begin with all three starters!" Amber accused. "That's cheating!"

'_Cheating?'_ Mewtwo snorted, looking derisively at Amber. To her, it looked as though he was comparing her to a bit of gum under his shoe – if he could wear shoes, that is. _'How very…_human_. I prefer to think of it as a challenge worthy of your skills as trainers.'_

"It's still cheating!" Amber argued. Briefly, she wondered why he just didn't pick her up with his telekinesis and use her as a throw toy by now. Perhaps he was amused or endeared by her 'human' ways; he certainly seemed as such. "You choose one starter Pokémon from three, and then raise it to its final, evolved form. That's the rule! Why should we play fair if you won't?"

"Yeah!" Corey shouted. The other trainers voiced their agreement.

'_You dare impugn me?_' Mewtwo replied, narrowing his eyes at her. _'You forget, human, that _I _am making the rules now.'_

"Rules or not, I won't fight unless you fight fair!" Amber retorted, crossing her arms. "I refuse!"

"Me too!" Neesha added.

"I'm not fighting a Pokémon master who cheats!" Fergus called.

Mewtwo seemed to look angrily at them; his cat-like tail twitching in what Amber figured was annoyance.

'_Very well,'_ Mewtwo said. _'I will allow each of you to fight one-on-one with me. For each battle, the challenger's Pokémon will face my cloned version. Then, we shall see who is the stronger of the two.'_

"Your fake Venusaur can't beat my real one! Right, Bruteroot?" Corey shouted.

Corey's Bruteroot – a Venusaur – nodded. It was a squat, quadruped Pokémon with bumpy, bluish green skin. It had small, circular red eyes, two pointed teeth on its upper jaw, and four pointed teeth on its lower jaw. It also had three clawed toes on each foot, and the bud on its back had bloomed in a large pink, white-spotted flower. The flower was supported by a thick, brown trunk surrounded by green fronds.

"_Saur!"_ the Venusaur affirmed.

"We'll blow away that Blastoise, won't we, Shell-Shocker?" Neesha called, glancing at her Blastoise.

Neesha's Shell-Shocker – a Blastoise – looked very different. It was large, bipedal tortoise-like Pokémon. Its body was dark blue, and mostly hidden by its tough, brown shell. This shell had a pale yellow underside and a white ridge between the upper and lower halves, which also encircled its arms. Two powerful water cannons resided in the top sides of its shell. The Pokémon's head had triangular ears which were black on the inside, small brown eyes, and a cream-colored lower jaw. Its arms were thick and striated with three claws on each hand, while its feet had three claws on the front, and one on the back. Like Venusaur, it had a stubby tail.

"_Blast!"_ the Water-type Pokémon said, looking pumped.

"It may not have a nickname, but I do have…" Ash trailed off, holding and looking fondly at a Pokéball close to his chest. With a swift wave of his arm, he threw it midair. "Charizard. I choose you!"

With a white beam of light, a dragon-like Pokémon appeared. Like Mewtwo's Charizard, it was a bipedal Pokémon, primarily orange in coloration, with a cream underside from the chest to the tip of its tail. The tail also burned with a sizable flame. Charizard had a long neck, stern-looking blue eyes, raised nostrils, and two blunt horns protruding from the back of its rectangular head. Two fangs were visible, despite its closed mouth. Two large wings with teal undersides sprouted from its back, and a horn-like appendage jutted out from the third joint of each wing. Charizard's arms looked short and skinny compared to its robust belly, and each limb had three, white claws. It also had stocky legs, despite its larger body.

Ash's Charizard swiveled its slitted eyes to meet Mewtwo's. Huffing, the Pokémon briefly closed its eyes.

In a flash, Charizard roared. With a jet of flame from its mouth, it used a Flamethrower attack on Mewtwo. The blast engulfed the psychic Pokémon, and with flood of inexplicable fear, Amber wondered if Charizard had killed Mewtwo.

"Charizard…" Ash said, looking with a mortified expression at the dragon-like Pokémon. "I didn't say start…"

Amber's fears, however, proved unfounded. With a sudden spurt of water, Mewtwo appeared, unharmed, as he doused the flames. Much to the trainer's shock, not a single hair on Mewtwo's body had been so much as singed.

'_Your Charizard is poorly trained,'_ Mewtwo commented. However, Amber knew that he was right. Her mother had told her once that only weak Charizards would show off their power, as Ash's did just now. The green-haired trainer had a dismal feeling that Ash's evolved starter would probably not fare too well against Mewtwo's clone in battle.

'_Let us begin.'_

Waving his arm, Mewtwo seemed to gesture towards the large, metallic wall behind him. It began to shift and contort, and within moments, it had vanished completely – revealing completely different, yet familiar, scenery on the other side.

"A stadium!" Brock exclaimed. He was correct: a large, dirt stadium, complete with metal bleachers and headlights, was visible. "Mewtwo planned this all along!"

Ignoring Brock's comments, Mewtwo waved his arm. His Pokémon clones followed their master as he walked over to the far end of the arena, stopping and turning with his team just as he reached the end. The Pokémon trainers had little choice but to trickle into their side of the arena, their own Pokémon going over to stand next to the wall. As they had not issued challenges to Mewtwo, the trio of Misty, Brock, and Amber also went to stand off to the side of the white-lined dirt field.

Briefly, Amber lamented that Mewtwo seemed only interested in pitting his clones against their respective twins: this arena would be absolutely perfect for Ground-type Pokémon to use to their advantage. Her hand briefly brushed over her belt, to the empty Pokéball that normally housed her Excadrill, as she glanced over at the Pokémon in question.

'_Which of you will oppose me first?'_ Mewtwo asked.

"We underestimated you last time, but that won't happen again!" Corey responded. The trainer raised his arm, pointing at Mewtwo. "Go, Bruteroot!" Corey's Bruteroot moved forward into the arena. Mewtwo's Venusaur followed suit.

"Wait!" Amber called. Both Mewtwo and Corey turned to look at her. "You can't just battle without a referee!"

'_Very well,'_ Mewtwo consented. _'As one of you seems to think that I am cheating-'_ – Mewtwo's pointed, aggravated glance her way was not lost on Amber-_ '-I will honor the human rules of battle. But I will be the one to select the judge.'_ The Pokémon's violet gaze turned back to Nurse Joy, who looked at Mewtwo with slight fear in her expression. Amber couldn't blame her. However, to Amber's further surprise, Nurse Joy nodded.

"I will be the judge for this battle," she announced in a firm voice, stepping forward. Picking up her heavy skirts, she shuffled over to the middle of the arena, just outside of the white lines.

"I'll help her as assistant judge," Brock offered. He went to join Nurse Joy, standing at her side. "I'm the Pewter City Gym Leader. I know a lot about official judging for Pokémon battles."

'_As you wish,'_ Mewtwo condoned.

After fetching two flags – one red, one green – from Brock's bag, Brock handed them to Nurse Joy. She held both aloft, raising her arms high.

"The match between the challengers and Mewtwo will now commence," Nurse Joy announced. "Each match will be one-on-one. Both trainers are allowed to use one Pokémon each. The first Pokémon to make the other one faint will be the victor. This match in particular will only allow for the use of evolved starter Pokémon."

Then, in one motion, she waved her arms – and the flags – straight down. "Begin!"

"Razor Leaf!" Corey ordered. His Pokémon complied, raising two of the leaves on its back to send a barrage of razor-sharp ones flying towards its opponent.

'_Vine Whip,'_ Mewtwo ordered his clone. The Venusaur swiftly obeyed, with two, powerful vines shooting from its back. In a flash, the vines deflected its opponent's Razor Leaf attack, and flew towards Corey's Bruteroot.

The two vines coiled tightly around Corey's Pokémon. Mewtwo's Venusaur then lifted Corey's Bruteroot completely off the ground, much to the latter Pokémon's fright. Bruteroot gave an uneasy cry as it struggled against its bonds, but to no avail. Mewtwo's Venusaur drew back its challenger, flinging its heavy body violently into the ground. When the dust cleared, Corey's Bruteroot had fainted.

"Bruteroot!" Corey yelled, running over to his injured Venusaur.

Nurse Joy's green flag – the one for Mewtwo's side of the arena – raised. "The challenger's Venusaur is unable to battle! Mewtwo is the winner!"

"That Vine Whip…" Amber whispered. "There's no way…that's impossible…Venusaur's way too heavy to even do that!"

"It looks like I'm up!" Neesha declared, a determined expression crossing her features. She waved her Blastoise forward into the arena. "Go, Shell-Shocker!"

"_Blastoise!" _Shell-Shocker affirmed. Mewtwo pointed, and his Blastoise lumbered into the arena.

"Shell-Shocker, Hydro Pump!" Neesha called. The shelled Pokémon complied, emitting two powerful blasts of water from its canon towards its opponent.

'_Rapid Spin.'_

Mewtwo's Blastoise became a spinning blur, deflecting Shell-Shocker's attack, again with apparent ease. The spinning Pokémon collided with Neesha's Blastoise, sending Shell-Shocker crashing into the wall behind it.

"That's…not possible…" Amber echoed. "No Rapid Spin should even be that powerful!"

"Shell-Shocker!" Neesha cried, running over to her fainted Pokémon as well.

Once again, Nurse Joy's arm waved the green flag in Mewtwo's direction. "The challenger's Blastoise is unable to battle! Mewtwo is the winner!"

To Amber, Mewtwo not only had seemed to practice with his cloned Pokémon beforehand, but he seemed to know the perfect counterattacks. The psychic Pokémon, despite being…well, a Pokémon…seemed to battle with the same level of skill as a Pokémon master, or even one of the Elite Four. His Pokémon, too, despite being clones, seemed to be excellently trained: they not only obeyed each of Mewtwo's orders without question, but worked with their master's battle strategies seamlessly.

It was also due to this realization that she felt nervousness seep into the pit of her stomach. Mewtwo's Pokémon defeating both Corey and Neesha? Sure, that was possible. Any skilled Pokémon trainer could do that, and Mewtwo clearly qualified. Yet Mewtwo's Pokémon also not only appeared to be physically modified, but their attacks were modified as well. Thinking back to the two previous attacks of Mewtwo's clones, Amber knew it was physically impossible for any normal Pokémon to accomplish such a feat.

Mewtwo _had_ cheated. But it was far too late to do anything. Corey and Neesha had already been bested in battle, and now, Mewtwo turned his expectant gaze to Ash.

"You'd better forfeit, Ash!" Misty pleaded, turning to him. "Those clones are too powerful!"

"I'm not giving up!" Ash countered. He faced his draconian Pokémon as it walked into the arena. Mewtwo raised his arm, directing his Charizard into the space as well. "Charizard! Use your speed, not power, and you'll win." Charizard nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright, go!"

The Fire-type flapped its wings, rising into the air as it loosed a Flamethrower attack. Mewtwo's Charizard blasted off from the ground – literally – with a powerful jet of fire in response. Looking over, Amber's lips pressed together grimly as she saw Mewtwo. The psychic Pokémon, his attention solely on his Charizard, was smirking.

The green-haired trainer could only watch in increasing nervousness as Ash's Charizard let loose Flamethrower attacks again and again, only for Mewtwo's clone to easily dodge it. With each missed attack, Mewtwo's Charizard rammed forcefully into Ash's, whittling down its health.

"Can't Charizard move any quicker?" Misty asked.

"That clone is too fast!" Brock exclaimed.

"Ash!" Amber called, and the black-haired trainer turned to look at her. "Your Charizard is losing stamina too fast! He's trying to wear it out!"

Suddenly, Amber could feel all of the hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Turning, she saw Mewtwo staring at her, his tail twitching in irritation.

'_Silence, human,'_ Mewtwo ordered, his deep voice thundering in her mind. _'Do not think I am ignorant to your thoughts.'_ Amber yelped at the powerful, stifling presence that seemed to flood her consciousness. _'Do not interfere. You have already proved a hindrance, that I have shown far too much mercy to already. Or must I remove you as a distraction?'_ The prickling feeling on her neck swiftly spread to every inch of her body. Her nerves felt like they were on fire.

The green-haired trainer quickly shook her head.

'_Good.'_

Just as swiftly as it had invaded her mind, Mewtwo's psychic presence disappeared. Amber felt a jolt of relief, but not for long: looking to the sky, she saw that the two combatants had raised high into the atmosphere. With each Flamethrower attack of Ash's Charizard, Mewtwo's Charizard seemed to hit it with what, to Amber, looked like a Quick Attack. Which, Amber knew, shouldn't even be possible – Charizard couldn't even learn Quick Attack! Yet, with Mewtwo's powerful, overbearing presence, Amber could only sit on the sidelines, watching as Ash's Charizard played into Mewtwo's trap.

Then, suddenly, Mewtwo's Charizard grabbed a hold of Ash's Charizard, nearly choking it. The latter Pokémon, now too weak to resist, could do little but struggle feebly.

'_Body Slam,' _Mewtwo instructed his Charizard. The Pokémon obeyed, diving down to the ground with Ash's Charizard in its claws.

"Charizard's in trouble!" Ash cried.

'_Finish it,' _Mewtwo commanded, his eyes narrowing. The two opponents slammed into the ground, Ash's Charizard taking the full brunt of the attack. As soon as the impact had hit the Pokémon, Mewtwo's clone released its grip, flying away.

Much to Amber's shock, Ash's Charizard – rather than fainting – rose defiantly. Wings outstretched, the Pokémon gave a roar of challenge. Hope shot up in Amber's chest. Could it be that Ash's Charizard was, perhaps, strong enough to defeat Mewtwo's clone?

The Pokémon answered that question immediately: it fainted.

"No, Charizard! No!" Ash shouted. He, too, sprinted to his defeated Pokémon, looking very worried. "Are you okay?"

Mewtwo's Charizard flapped easily back to its master's side, falling into line with its clone companions.

"The challenger's Charizard is unable to battle!" Nurse Joy called again, waving the green flag a third time in Mewtwo's direction. "Mewtwo is the winner!" Mewtwo's satisfied smirk was evident.

'_As the victor—' _Mewtwo began, but was suddenly cut off by another voice.

"Not so fast!"

Everyone turned their eyes onto Amber, who stepped forward. She pointed to Mewtwo.

"It's my turn!" she added. "I challenge you to a battle!"

'_Foolish human,_' Mewtwo said. If he could sneer, he probably would. _'Did you not see what happened? No Pokémon is strong enough to defeat my clones.'_

"My Pokémon don't have to be strong!" Amber replied, fixing Mewtwo with a steely glare. "They just have to defeat yours!"

'_You cannot win. It is hopeless,'_ Mewtwo responded. _'Forfeit now, and I will spare your Pokémon.'_

"A real Pokémon trainer never gives up!" Amber continued defiantly, removing a Pokéball from her belt and clutching it close to her chest. "I may not have a Venusaur, a Blastoise, or a Charizard. But I do have an evolved starter!" She paused. Then, with a wave of her hand, she threw the sphere into midair.

"Serperior, I choose you!"

A white light emitted from the Pokéball, and a large, long, serpentine Pokémon appeared on Amber's side of the arena. Its face and throat were white, while its back was dark green. Curled, mint-colored patterns extend into the white portion of its face, and it had narrow, red eyes. There were two pointed, yellow extensions on the back of its head, and coiled, dark green extensions spread out from the sides of its lower neck. The latter formed a curving pattern lower down on its body. It also had curved, yellow markings around its middle, and several palmate leaves on its tail.

Stretching to its full height, it was so tall that it surpassed even both Venusaurs in the arena. In the lower jaw, two fangs became visible as it opened its mouth in a defiant cry.

'_An Unova region starter,'_ Mewtwo responded, his eyes widening slightly with interest. _'You have indeed come a long way.'_ However, he waved his paw, feigning nonchalance. _'No matter. You will still suffer defeat.'_

"We'll see about that!" Amber countered. "My Serperior has beaten other Grass-types before! Your Venusaur will be no different!" She paused, leveling her stare at Mewtwo. She was unafraid to meet his strange, violet eyes - so human-like and familiar amid his feline features - despite the terrifying aura of power she could sense radiating from him.

"Or are you afraid I might defeat you?" she added, her voice mocking. Mewtwo's eyes narrowed.

'_Very well,'_ Mewtwo acquiesced. _'As you wish.' _He raised his arm, and his Venusaur stepped forward one more. He then turned his cold, violet eyes back to meet Amber's fiery ones. _'Your move.'_

Amber waved her arm, issuing her first command to her Pokémon with a strong, unyielding voice.

"Serperior, Hyper Beam!"

'_Hyper Beam as well,'_ Mewtwo ordered his Venusaur.

The two Pokémon obeyed. Of the two, Serperior was faster, opening its jaw as a sphere of rainbow, bright energy formed in its mouth. In seconds, the sphere had formed into a multicolored laser, blasting its way towards Mewtwo's Venusaur. Meanwhile, Mewtwo's Venusaur had formed an identical beam from the middle of the flower on its back, making its way swiftly to meet its opponent's.

When the two attacks met, the middle of the arena seemed to explode. A massive, thick cloud of dirt and dust formed, obscuring the arena for a few seconds. When the cloud finally cleared, however, the one of the two Pokémon was lying on the ground, still and listless.

"Serperior! No!" Amber cried. She bolted towards her heavily injured Pokémon, wrapping her arms around its neck. The Pokémon managed to lift its head briefly, emitting a weak cry, before it fell limp in her arms.

"The challenger's Serperior is unable to battle!" Nurse Joy called, waving the green flag for a fourth - and final - time. "Mewtwo is the winner!"

'_As I was saying earlier, before I was interrupted,'_ Mewtwo spoke, turning his eyes to glare at the four challengers and their Pokémon. Amber's gaze lifted from her fainted Pokémon to Mewtwo, her expression darkening. _'As the victor, I claim my prize…your Pokémon…and you.'_

With a wave of his arm, he pointed straight at Amber.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _Pokémon_ and all related literary characters are © 1996 - 2014 to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. This is an unauthorized work of fiction, and should not be regarded as canon or real in any way. "Kindred Spirits", and all unrelated characters, are © 2014 to me, and are not be used in any other works of fanfiction not authorized or written by me without my permission.


	5. Origins

**Author's Note: **First off, as always, I would like to send out a huge thank-you to Antex the Legendary Zoroark, kitsunelover300, MissMissive, Theothergir, MaximumRider99, jozs001, ICTOAN, Luna the Zekrom, and Naomi Shihoin for reviewing the last chapter! I also want to give a special thanks to ICTOAN for reviewing from the Review Game on the Writers Anonymous forum, as well as literalmind, who so far has given me in-depth critiques via PM of my first few chapters of "Kindred Spirits".

Secondly, I would also like to personally thank those who favorite and watched "Kindred Spirits"! If you have not already planned on doing so already, I highly encourage you to review the previous and current chapter (now posted).

I also want to thank everyone who reviewed, from the bottom of my heart. I understand that some of you may not be able to review every chapter, as I myself am currently on limited Internet access in between posting new chapters of "Kindred Spirits". All of your kind words helped me greatly to continue writing this chapter, and to make sure it was the best quality for you all – my readers and audience. So, thank you, and I really hope that y'all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

A side note: There are some references to _'Mewtwo's Return'_ in this chapter, especially in reference to a certain plot hole from that movie. Kudos if you can find them!

* * *

_**- Kindred Spirits -**_

Chapter 4: Origins

* * *

Away from the explosive battles, noise, and chaos above, Amber's Chandelure had decided to explore Mewtwo's mansion.

The Ghost-type Pokémon – which, for all appearances, resembled a sentient, floating chandelier – phased easily through the metal floor. Ever since Amber had caught it as a Litwick - its first and youngest form – in the Celestial Tower, it hadn't always been the most obedient of Pokémon. Though Amber's Gym badges from the Unova region forced it to obey her in battle, outside of the arena and it's Pokéball, the ghost Pokémon did no such thing. Then again, before its capture, it had gone and done anything it pleased as a wild Litwick, and the now-evolved Chandelure now felt it could do the same today.

The Pokémon – which bore a striped, round head, round, pupil-less eyes, and a ring of small, black spikes above its head that sported a purple flame in the middle – felt its curiosity pricked. As soon as it had come to the lower level, the one beneath the grand hall above, it noticed something quite peculiar. This particular room, like the rest of the mansion, was made entirely out of metal, including steel walls, doors, and floors. However, in this room, there was quite a bit of machinery – a large computer, some sort of machine with a conveyor belt, and strange, clear liquid-filled tubes that stretched from floor to ceiling.

In three of these tubes were other Pokémon.

As Chandelure floated over to the cylindrical tanks, the black arms that curled upwards from the black spike below its head slightly moved with it. Though the room was lighted, purple fire burned at the tips of the Pokémon's arms, flickering and bathing the glass of the tubes in an eerie, violet light. As a ghost Pokémon, one of Chandelure's main food sources were the Pokémon souls, or spirits, of their living hosts. Normally, Chandelure would wave its purple flames, hypnotizing its living victim, before ultimately absorbing the victim's spirit and energy.

However, Chandelure could sense one of two things. One, these Pokémon were sleeping, or dormant, and thus, it could not hypnotize them – yet.

Two, these particular Pokémon seemed to have no souls.

The Chandelure was more than mildly surprised at this discovery. At first, there was shock. Never before had it failed to sense a spirit emanating from a living Pokémon before, even during its victims' slumber. Then, there was irritation. It would not be getting a meal, at least not from these Pokémon.

However, Chandelure could already sense the approach of another Pokémon. The footfalls were strange – they sounded more like a human's than that of another Pokémon – but Chandelure could discern the difference nonetheless. This particular Pokémon, unlike the others in the tubes, had a soul.

As the footsteps drew closer and closer to the room, Chandelure made itself intangible – invisible to the naked eye.

Just as Chandelure disappeared from sight, the strange door to the room opened. Three figures – two humans, and a bipedal, cat-like Pokémon – were revealed. Chandelure watched as the group hesitated, then turned, striding into the room uncertainly. It was Jessie, James, and Meowth – Team Rocket – and they had managed to make it to the island safely, too.

"Look at dese!" Meowth called, stopping in front of the tanks.

"Hmm," James remarked, staring at the slumbering Pokémon within them.

"They're Pokémon!" Jessie said.

"Are…they real?" James asked.

"Dey look real to me," Meowth said.

"Ugh," Jessie sighed. She walked over idly to a large computer affixed to an even larger machine, sitting on its keyboard as she crossed her legs and arms. "I was hoping there'd be a party."

Suddenly, the computer screen flickered to life, an automated voice emitting from it. Yelping, Jessie jumped off of the keyboard, spinning around to face the computer. James and Meowth, noticing her surprise, soon ran over to her. A series of images flashed on the screen.

"_This is the Pokémon Replication System,"_ an emotionless, female voice spoke. _"System activated. Pokémon based on genetic analysis. Pokémon DNA sampling sequence now in progress."_

Equally as swiftly as the machine had activated, several mechanical arms flew out of one end of the machine. They grabbed onto Meowth, lifting the Pokémon's body off the ground.

"Hey? What are you doin'! Put me down!" Mewoth cried. "Aaaaahhh!" The arms dragged him onto the conveyor belt, as the Pokémon kicked and struggled to get free. The Pokémon was dropped on the moving surface, which began to take him towards the machine's gaping, black opening.

"Meowth!" James shouted.

"Grab him!" Jessie ordered. James lunged forward, grabbing the Pokémon's arms. As the Rocket and the machine struggled in a tug-of-war, the machine began to win, pulling Meowth slowly towards its black, gaping entrance.

"Help me!" Meowth begged.

Then, just as it seemed that Meowth might become the machine's victim, its arms let go of the Pokémon. Meowth was flung forward, crashing into Jessie and James.

"I made it…but just by a hair!" Meowth exclaimed. Rolling over away from the two humans, he sat up, clutching his tail in his paws. True to Meowth's word, the machine had collected three hairs from the Pokémon.

A small projector on the side of the machine whirred, turning on. A beam of light emitted from it, illuminating the wall on the opposite side. A silhouetted image appeared on it.

"Look! There's your hair!" Jessie exclaimed.

"_Analyzing Pokémon biomaterial sample," _the machine spoke. The image morphed into one of the double-helix design of DNA, and then, of Meowth himself. _"Analysis complete. Pokémon identified. Begin replication sequence."_

"Who's that Pokémon?" James asked.

"It's Meowth!" Jessie replied.

Something shot out of the machine, and into one of the empty tanks connected to it. The spherical shape moved quickly through the tube, finally coming to rest at the bottom of it. All three Rockets rushed over to the new Pokémon that now was suspended alongside the three others in their tanks.

"Meowth!" Jesse and James exclaimed.

"But…_I'm_ Meowth!" Meowth feebly protested.

"So who's the one in the tank?" James asked.

"That's your clone!" Jessie added.

"_I haven't got much time!"_ came a frantic voice from the computer. Jessie, James, and Meowth ran over to the machine that the voice had come from.

A warped, distorted image of a man who looked to be a scientist – wavy, green hair, lab coat, glasses, and all – appeared on the screen before them. _"I pray this record of our experiment survives. A year ago, we discovered a fossil of what proved to be the ancient remains of the ancient Pokémon - Mew."_

A severely damaged, glitching image of some sort of stone tablet, depicting a particular, cat-like Pokémon, appeared briefly on the screen.

"_There was sufficient genetic material to replicate Mew. But Giovanni, who funded our project, insisted we try to design super-clones more powerful than any living Pokémon. Many attempts failed, but finally, our experiments proved successful. We produced a living Pokémon. We called it 'Mewtwo'. But for some reason, the creature's anger is out of control. With its psychic powers, it is destroying our laboratory!"_

More damaged images of what appeared to be some sort of fossil flashed on-screen, only be replaced once more by the moving images of the scientist talking. Then, it was again replaced by another image, this time a 3-D model of Mewtwo.

"_I make this in the hopes that one day, the truth will be revealed,"_ the man continued. _"That the real reason why we cloned Mewtwo will come to light. All of this is my fault. It's because of me that this creature survives."_ The man seemed to pause, his expression looking melancholy_. "Years ago, I lost my beloved daughter, Amber, in a terrible accident. She was taken from this world so young, so full of life. Though her physical body perished, though my work, I was able to keep her consciousness alive. But it came at a great cost."_

"_I lost everything. My wife, my job, my house…and now, my life. Giovanni offered me a way to finish what I started, as long as I also succeeded in creating Mewtwo. What I wanted so desperately to complete…to bring my precious Amber back to life." _The man paused again, this time looking devastated. _"But in the end, it proved to be just another failed attempt. My Amber is gone forever… only Mewtwo survives."_ His last few words were laced with anger and venom.

A new, though equally damaged, image flashed across the screen. This time, it was of the scientist from before – only happy, this time, and with a brown-haired woman and a little girl. The woman's face and upper figure was distorted by the glitch computer screen, but the little girl's smile and figure was able to be easily discerned. Thick, green locks fell just past the girl's shoulders, and bright, wide, violet eyes looked up at Team Rocket from the family photo she was in. She also wore a white dress, with matching white sandals, sitting atop pale-colored skin, while holding a white sunhat in her small hands. From the looks of it, she couldn't have been more than four years old when the photo was taken.

"Hey, don't dat look like one of the twerps' friends?" Meowth commented. "The one that paid for dat boat ride?"

"Hmm," James said, leaning towards the screen to get a closer look. "You're right! It does look a lot like her."

"It has to be her," Jessie added, leaning in as well. "She may be young in the picture, but I can tell. She must have grown up by now."

"But if that's true, then why did it say that she was 'gone forever'?" James asked.

"Maybe she's one of dem clones," Meowth said. "All grown up, just like dose Pokémon in the tanks!"

"Or maybe she's a ghost," James continued, shuddering.

Meanwhile, Chandelure hovered, invisible, just behind the trio's heads. The ghost Pokémon listened to their every word, as well as the ones from the audio recording. It then decided to finally make its presence known.

"_Chan…"_ the Pokémon uttered, slowly becoming visible again. Jessie, James, and Meowth all turned. In an instant, terrified looks all graced their faces. They let out a simultaneous cry of surprise.

"W-what is that thing?" Jessie asked, her eyes trained on Chandelure.

"I-I have no idea!" James replied fearfully. The two human Rockets clung together, wrapping their arms around one another in fright.

"_Chan…Chandelure…"_

"Huh?" Meowth spoke, snapping out of its shock. It looked curiously at Chandelure, listening to the Pokémon as the Ghost-type continued to speak. "You don't say?"

"Say what?" James asked.

"What's it saying?" Jessie demanded.

"It's sayin' dat it's one of dis Amber's Pokémon," Meowth explained. "And dat she has other Pokémon, too. A whole team of powerful Pokémon from the Unova region."

"Powerful Pokémon?" James echoed.

"From the Unova Region?" Jessie added.

"Yeah," Meowth said. "It's sayin' dat she's traveled the Unova region for nine years. Catchin' and trainin' Pokémon, battling in the Unova League, and collectin' different Pokémon to fill her PokéDex with, to help out her mom with her research. It's sayin' dat her mom is some sort of important Pokémon professor."

"Dahhh!" Meowth suddenly cried, jumping back from Chandelure as the Ghost-type continued to speak. Every inch of the cat-like Pokémon's hair stood on end as a shiver ran through its body. "You can't be serious!"

"What's wrong?" Jessie inquired.

"It's sayin' dat her mom used to work on dis very island!" Meowth exclaimed. "Dat she used to work on dese Pokémon clones!" The bipedal Pokémon paused. "It says its trainer ain't supposed to know about it. Dat her mom's been tryin' to protect her from the people that might come lookin' for her. It only knows because it decided to be nosy, eavesdroppin' on her mom's business. It's sayin'_, 'Don't you dare tell anyone else, or I'll hypnotize you all and eat your souls!'_"

"Aaaahhh!" the Rockets whimpered, clinging to one another again as Chandelure put on a scary-looking face.

"_We dreamed of creating the world's strongest Pokémon…and we succeeded,"_ the scientist's voice came one last, final time. With this utterance, the computer screen automatically shut off. The Rockets' gazes shifted back to the now-black computer screen.

"Sounds like a real PokéStein," Jessie whispered.

"Sure does," James agreed softly.

"Mewtwo's one _baaaad_ cat!" Meowth added.

"So this must be the lab," James said.

"But if Mewtwo destroyed it…" Jessie trailed off.

"…somebody rebuilt it," James continued.

"But who?" Both Rockets asked simultaneously.

Suddenly, there was a jarring noise – like someone pressed a noisy button. The trio, startled, turned to where the sound had come from: the tanks.

One of the Pokémon's eyes had jolted open. Team Rocket gave a collective cry of surprise, jumping together and clinging to each other as the noise repeated two more times. With each sounding, the other two Pokémon's eyes opened as well.

"Gah!" Meowth cried, jumping back as his fur bristled. "I think dat they're awake!"

One by one, each of the Pokémon descended to the bottom of the tubes. A black, rubber-like substance surrounded and encased the bottom of each of the tanks. When each clone disappeared below the black line of the rubber, there was a flash of light. Then, each of the Pokémon emerged from the rubber, as though they were walking through a wall. Much to the Rockets' surprise, each Pokémon also lacked a bright sheen of fluid on them. They emerged, completely conscious and dry, from their artificial wombs.

"_Blast!"_ one of the Pokémon said; it was the first to obtain its freedom. Another – the orange-and-striped, draconian one – rumbled in response as it emerged.

"_Saur…"_ said the third Pokémon, following suit. After all three had separated themselves from the tanks, it followed its fellow clones towards the door, through the frame, and out into the hall.

"_Mew,"_ came another Pokémon's cry. Another, cat-like being appeared, floating in midair before the Rockets.

"Hey! Dat's Mew!" Meowth said, recognizing the Pokémon from the image on the computer. However, Mew took no notice of Team Rocket. Instead, it seemed focused on the clone Pokémon, floating silently after them. The metal door closed behind the Pokémon with a soft hiss.

"I'm scared!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Me too!" James affirmed.

"_Me-owth!"_

* * *

A little while later, Amber stared, dumbfounded, at Mewtwo. She pointed to herself.

"Me?" she asked dubiously. "You want…_me?"_

Mewtwo merely nodded in response.

"But…why?"

The psychic Pokémon stared at Amber for a second or two before replying. _'You have proven yourself to be a nuisance. By claiming you as my prize, you, like your Pokémon, are now my slave.' _

"You…you can't do that!" Amber spluttered, staring at Mewtwo. The Pokémon waved his arm. "You can't just—!"

In an instant, however, Amber's form had disappeared.

"Amber!" Ash shouted. He, Brock, and Misty quickly ran over to the place where she had just been standing, but to no avail. The green-haired trainer had completely vanished!

"What did you do to her?" Brock yelled at Mewtwo.

'_Silence, human,_' Mewtwo ordered. _'It is none of your concern. Rest assured that she is safe…for now. More importantly, can no longer interfere with my plans.'_ He paused. '_Soon, I will be the ruler of this world…and no one, human or Pokémon, can stop me.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Amber appeared, whole and intact, in another room in the mansion. With a startled cry, she appeared in midair, falling face-first on the cold, metal floor.

There were similar shouts of surprise from elsewhere in the room. Quickly regaining herself, Amber jumped to her feet, looking up to see just who was keeping her company.

"Team Rocket!" Amber seethed. Her hands balled into fists. "I should have known you were helping Mewtwo!"

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the twerps' little friend," Jessie replied coolly, crossing her arms as she closed her eyes.

"Care to give us more of your money?" James added, mimicking Jessie's movements.

"Me-owth! You did pay a lotta dough for dat," Meowth added.

"Chandelure!" Amber exclaimed, her eyes widening at the sight of her ghost Pokémon. Then, she turned a quickly darkening gaze to Team Rocket. "You were trying to steal my Chandelure, weren't you? I've heard about your little group! You try to steal other trainers' Pokémon to make a profit! Well, you're not gonna steal my Chandelure!"

"And, first off," Amber added, her tone rising angrily. "My name is not 'the twerps' little friend'. It's Amber. Amber Juniper! Secondly, I only paid you guys because I knew something was up with your so-called 'Viking Express'." She cracked her knuckles, narrowing her gaze at the three Rockets. "I may only have my Chandelure left, but I_ fully_ intend to get my money back."

"Gahh!" the Rockets exclaimed, as the green-haired trainer took a step towards them, a fierce glint in her eye. All three held up their hands in surrender.

"Wait! There's no need for violence!" Jessie said, backing away a few steps.

"That's right! We'll give you a full refund!" James added. Both Rockets searched their pockets, but looked even more nervous when they came up empty-handed.

Amber quirked an eyebrow, tapping one foot expectantly. "Well? Where's my money?"

"It…must have washed away in the storm…" Jessie said.

"Wait. Did you say your name was Amber?" James asked, looking curiously at the trainer. Amber shifted, slightly uncomfortable at the way James looked at her.

"Yeah. Why?" she responded.

Just as James opened his mouth to reply, however, a whirring, grinding noise filled the room. The three humans and two Pokémon turned, watching as the conveyor belt hummed to life. After a second or two, strange-looking spheres began to appear on one end of the machine.

"What are those?" Amber asked.

"They look like Pokéballs," James said.

"I've never seen Pokéballs that looked like that," Amber commented. "But there sure are a lot of them. They look like they're coming from that feeder tunnel."

As the strange-looking, metal Pokéballs started to enter he large machine with the computer at the other end of the conveyor belt, a projector came on. A silhouetted image of a Pokémon appeared!

"There goes…Scyther!" Team Rocket said. Another image popped up.

"Dewgong!" Then, yet another, different image replaced it.

"Vileplume!"

As the silhouettes were flashed on the wall, Amber realized, with a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach, who exactly these Pokémon belonged to. Somehow, Mewtwo had managed to steal all of the other trainers' Pokémon – even the ones from Fergus, Misty, and Brock, who didn't even participate in Mewtwo's challenge. With each new flash of the projector, Amber quickly figured out that that meant the machine was processing the particular Pokémon in its Pokéball – as well as harvesting its DNA. With each new Pokémon processed, its doppelganger – identical in every way, as far as Amber could tell – was created, dropping each one into a separate, artificial womb.

However, these particular clones, unlike their Kanto evolved starter counterparts, looked significantly smaller and less-developed. Much to Amber's mixed surprise, fascination, and horror, it looked as though the machine had created baby versions of each Pokemon. While those that did not evolve by stones were born in their lower evolutions – for example, Corey's Sandslash now had an identical, younger Sandshrew version of itself – those that did evolve by stones were of their evolved forms. Fergus's Nidoqueen and Vaporeon, as well as Neesha's Vileplume, were among the latter, albeit in baby-like forms.

"Sandshrew, Nidoqueen, Vaporeon…" Meowth added, having moved over to stare at the newly formed clones in their tubes. "But me…I've got a special place in my tail for this one." Swiveling her gaze briefly, Amber saw that Meowth stood in front of a class case that held another of his species – his clone.

Suddenly, a groan came from the feeder tunnel. Out of the darkness came a familiar figure, though he looked worse for wear, his body face-down on the belt.

"It's Ash!" Amber exclaimed. She ran quickly over to the other Pokémon trainer, who seemed to be waking up. The black-haired trainer quickly got to his feet. Instead of Amber, however, the first things Ash's eyes laid upon were that of Team Rocket.

"Team Rocket!" Ash called. "I don't have time for your dumb motto today!" Brushing off Amber's hand on his arm, he ran towards the large machine in front of him.

"Ash, no!" Amber pleaded. "That's Mewtwo's cloning machine! Who knows what it could do to you!" However, it was too late – Ash had already dived into the darkened opening of the contraption.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Team Rocket asked, as the projector once again flashed an image. "It's Pikachu!"

"Let go! Stupid machine!" Ash yelled. From the looks of his thrashing legs, dangling just outside of the entrance, he was putting up one hell of a fight with it. "Give me back my Pikachu!"

After a small explosion, the machine began to falter. A strange, wail-like siren began to sound as a form of static electricity surrounded the cloning machine.

"What's happenin'?" Meowth asked.

"It's the machine!" Amber replied. "It's starting to malfunction!"

True to Amber's guess, the machine seemed to be failing. Suddenly, the artificial wombs holding the newly cloned Pokémon began to give way: the rubber-like bottoms began to open. Spurts of amniotic fluid were released, and the Pokémon inside the tanks slid to the bottom and to rest on the cold, metal floor.

However, Amber noticed immediately noticed that something was wrong. Along with the fluid gushing out of the tubes, the wet forms of the clone Pokémon were barely moving. The green-haired trained, alarmed, ran over to the nearest one. It was a Seel, a seal-like Pokémon with snow-white fur – albeit sticky and sleek with the strange liquid - with a matching, small white horn on its forehead. It was feebly flapping its fins amid the puddle underneath it, and emitted a weak cry as it looked up at Amber. The trainer knelt on the ground next to the Seel, placing her hand in front of its face, as the Pokémon closed its eyes.

"It's breathing," Amber called, glancing back at Team Rocket. "But it's very shallow. Something's definitely wrong." She swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat at the putrid smell that seemed to waft from the machine's afterbirth. "They look like they're injured badly….but I can't see any physical marks."

Meanwhile, Ash had managed to grab one of the strange, metallic Pokéballs from the machine. Dropping the sphere, there was a burst of white light as the Pokémon inside of it was released.

"Pikachu!"Ash cried happily.

"_Pi?"_ Ash's Pikachu said, seeming a bit confused at first. Recognizing its trainer, however, it soon leapt into his arms gladly. _"Pika pi!"_

The black-haired trainer enveloped his yellow, mouse-like Pokémon in a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay."

No sooner had Ash been reunited with his Pikachu, however, than the metallic entrance opened with another quiet hiss. A tall, familiar figure stepped into the room, his eyes surveying the space before him.

"Aaaaaahhh!" Team Rocket shouted fearfully, clinging to one another in fear. "It's Mewtwo!"

'_You fools!'_ Mewtwo said harshly, looking aghast. _'What have you done?'_ He padded slowly over to one of the still forms of the Pokémon lying on the floor. Then, he turned to glare at the four humans and two Pokémon.

If looks could kill, then Mewtwo's would have proved to be as deadly as a basilisk's stare. The psychic Pokémon looked absolutely livid, and Amber could feel white-hot fear flood her veins. His eyes glowed blue and she could practically feel the crackle in the air as he used his powers.

Suddenly, Ash and his Pikachu vanished from her sight!

"Ash!" Amber cried out, partially in shock. That must be what Mewtwo had to have used on her before – a Teleport attack! Then, with another wave of Mewtwo's arm, Team Rocket and Meowth disappeared as well.

"Team Rocket!" Amber called. She stared with wide eyes at the empty space where the crooks had been only a second before. "What did you do to them?" She paused, glaring at the psychic Pokémon. "Where are they?"

Mewtwo said nothing. His back was turned to her, as he apparently stared at the tiny, feeble forms of the Pokémon below him.

'_They were children,'_ Mewtwo began coldly. '_They were young ones…and you humans almost _killed_ them.'_

"I…" Amber said, taken aback by the Pokémon's words. Though they were cold and emotionless, Amber could practically sense the seething rage that Mewtwo was just barely keeping under the surface. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know—"

'_That you would injure them?'_ Mewtwo interrupted savagely. He whipped his head around to cast another chilly glare at the green-haired trainer. _'These machines were not only made to create Pokémon. They were also created to nurture them to adulthood. They are not strong enough to survive outside of the womb so soon.'_ He paused. _'But of course, your tiny, feeble human mind couldn't possibly understand that.'_

"Mewtwo, I do understand—"

'_Enough,_' Mewtwo cut in again, waving his arm dismissively. _'What could you possibly know of what it is like to be a clone? To be created by humans, your sole purpose to serve them as a slave? To be the only one of your kind, destined to stand alone?'_

Amber remained silent this time. Mewtwo was right: she didn't know anything about the experiences that he'd mentioned.

'_Nothing,'_ Mewtwo added bitterly. _'Exactly what I expected.'_ He paused. _'One of my copies is fetching Nurse Joy as we speak.'_

"Copies?" Amber inquired, confused.

'_This form you see here is one of several telepathic copies that I created of myself,'_ Mewtwo explained, looking down at his tall, lithe frame. _'I used a modified version of the technique you humans call Double Team. Of course, mine is far stronger and more extensive than any ordinary Pokemon's. These copies are merely mental projections.'_

"Double Team," Amber whispered. Of course – it made sense now. That meant if she reached out and tried to touch the copy in front of her – no matter how real it looked to be – it would disappear. That also meant that Mewtwo's physical body – the real one – was elsewhere.

'_Enough,'_ Mewtwo repeated. He turned, walking a few steps towards the door. _'Follow me.'_

"Mewtwo, wait!" Amber pleaded. "I can help—"

'_There is nothing you can do,'_ the Pokémon interrupted again. _'You are not a Pokémon nurse, nor are you a healer. You are a Pokémon trainer. You are trained in battling, not in treating injured Pokémon. You could end up injuring them even more. Only Nurse Joy has the skills to save them.'_

Amber wasn't expecting Mewtwo's response to hurt – but it did. It stung her, right down to her core. Yet if Mewtwo wouldn't allow her to help him, help them, then there was truly nothing she could do. She bowed her head, finally deciding to submit to Mewtwo's demand.

"Alright," she replied with a nod, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible. "Lead the way."

* * *

Ash and his Pikachu reappeared suddenly. The black-haired trainer and his Pokémon first felt a wave of nausea – one of the unfortunate side-effects of Teleportation for some – before their eyes settled on their surroundings.

"Ughh…what happened?" Ash asked no one in particular, his eyes darting around the room as he grasped his stomach. His vision was met by a wall of metal – three, in fact, surrounding him on all sides.

"_Pika…?"_ his Pikachu echoed, likely wondering the same.

"Hey!" Ash added indignantly, turning around to see what the fourth wall was made of: iron bars, along with a barred door. He ran up to the bars of the door, wrapping his gloved hands around them. He shook and rattled the bars with all his might. They were in a prison cell - and they were locked in!

"Hey! Let us out!" Ash yelled, looking down the hall past the barred door. It appeared just as empty as it looked. He shook the bars again. "Let us out right now!"

"_Pika pika!" _

"Alright, Pikachu!" Ash called, stepping back. He pointed at the bars that were trapping them. "Thunderbolt attack, now!"

"_PikaCHUUUUU!"_ the Pokémon cried, clutching its fists and shutting its eyes tight. A bolt of powerful lightning emitted from the yellow, mouse-like Pokémon, hitting the metal. However, it appeared to have little to no effect.

"_Pika…CHUUUUU!"_ Pikachu cried again, loosing another Thunderbolt attack. To the Pokémon's - and his trainer's – dismay, it had the same result. Nothing happened.

"You should know that won't work," came a tired voice from inside the cell. Ash and his Pikachu turned, only noticing the other person in the room now. Though the person's back was turned to Ash and Pikachu, the two could tell it was a man, lying on the single cot in the cell.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"I've tried it before," the man added. "When I still had my Pokémon with me." He paused. "He's taken them. He's taken them all. I haven't got a single Pokémon left." Another pause. "Those bars…they're impenetrable. I tried everything. Electric-type attacks, Ice-type attacks, Fire-type attacks…even Hyper Beam attacks. None of them did a thing."

Ash took a step back, a bit surprised. "You tried all of those? Just what sort of Pokémon did you have?" It was Ash's turn to pause. "Who_ are _you, anyways?"

For a moment, the man didn't respond. Then, with a heavy sigh, he sat up, turning around as he slid off the cot and onto his feet. Ash's eyes widened as the man stretched to his full height, towering above Ash's height by at least a head, even with the man's spiked, carmine-colored hair.

"My name is Lance," the man said. "And_ I_ am the world's greatest Pokémon Master."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _Pokémon_ and all related literary characters are © 1996 - 2014 to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. This is an unauthorized work of fiction, and should not be regarded as canon or real in any way. "Kindred Spirits", and all unrelated characters, are © 2014 to me, and are not be used in any other works of fanfiction not authorized or written by me without my permission.


	6. Imprisonment

**Author's Note: **First order of business – I'm sending a big thank-you to Antex the Legendary Zoroark, kitsunelover300, Luna the Zekrom, Slayde Demise and Alexia Rose, and Naomi Shihoin for reviewing the last chapter!

Secondly, I would also like to personally thank those who favorite and watched "Kindred Spirits"! If you have already not planned on doing so already, I highly encourage you to review the previous and current chapter (not posted).

Parts of the following chapters have been inspired by the fanfiction "Human" by TheFrogFromHell, a Mewtwo/Misty story, as well as Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" (1991). More specifically, I draw from depictions of certain rooms in Mewtwo's mansion from "Human", and from the Beast's castle in "Beauty and the Beast", such as the use of wings and an ominous 'West Wing'. Another idea concerning food in this chapter comes from Disney's "The Incredibles" (2004), from which I have borrowed a quote. However, I want to state now that, while I may have borrowed some concepts from these works, I took extra caution in order to make sure that I did not plagiarize by mistake. I also highly encourage you to check out "Human" and its sequels; they're very well-written stories that I think you'd enjoy a lot!

A side note: Expect the next chapter to be Mewtwo POV-heavy!

* * *

_**- Kindred Spirits -**_

Chapter 5: Imprisonment

* * *

As they turned out into the hall, Amber followed Mewtwo – or, rather, a mental projection of him – silently. Her Chandelure, surprisingly, floated behind her, illuminating the passage with its purple flames. The corridor was noiseless and empty, and the only sounds that Amber could hear were the echoes of the soles of her shoes as she strode after Mewtwo.

More than a few questions were on Amber's mind, but she held herself back from asking them. The green-haired trainer could sense now would probably not be the best time to bombard Mewtwo with them. After all, they both had just witnessed the accidental near-destruction of the clones Mewtwo had created, no thanks to Ash's reckless, impulsive actions. Amber could see why Ash did such a thing – she, too, was more than upset that her own Pokémon had been taken as well – but she hardly agreed with his decisions. Or, rather, the fact that Ash hadn't put even a single thought or moment's pause to what he was about to do. He'd rushed right into a battle with Mewtwo's machine, an action that had not only cost them all their freedom, but made the situation with Mewtwo far worse.

Now, Amber couldn't even think as to where Ash - or Team Rocket, for that matter - were, or where Mewtwo had transported them to. She had a sinking feeling in her stomach, however, that it probably wasn't good. With the gigantic size and scope of the mansion, the psychic Pokémon could have Teleported them anywhere. Thankfully, he hadn't done so to her as well, but it was also possible that Mewtwo was leading her to a place worse than that he'd sent Ash and Team Rocket to.

As they moved through the corridors, they passed several other doors, identical to the one to the cloning room. Amber found herself wondering just what kind of place this was, and what exactly Mewtwo intended it for. Was it a mansion? A laboratory? A fighting arena? Judging from the day's events, Amber guessed it probably functioned as all three. If Mewtwo himself were to be believed, while speaking through Nurse Joy, he'd told them that he had "always lived on this island".

With a shiver, Amber thought back to what Luke had told her about the island in the past – and the subsequent disaster. If what Luke said was true – and Amber's sinking feeling told him that he probably was – then what did that mean? If Mewtwo was also to be believed, did that mean he had lived here, on the island, when the explosion had occurred? Did he live through it? And if so, what exactly was going on before it had happened, and why did Mewtwo decide to rebuild?

All of these questions, and more, swirled around in Amber's thoughts as they walked. One by one, the more she recalled her memories on what people had told her, and what had happened over the past several years, things began to fall into place.

Years ago, a major tragedy had happened on New Island. Even though she hadn't thought much of it when Luke had told her, digging deeper into her recollections, Amber did realize that she had heard about it before. Many years ago, when she was still a young child, she had been looking for a ball she'd accidentally kicked under her mother's bed – and discovered a shoe box, covered in a thin layer of dust. Curious, she'd lifted the lid up, and saw that it was filled with newspaper clippings. In particular, the one on top had stood out to her with its big, bold headline: 'EXPLOSION ON NEW ISLAND – MANY DEAD'. Whatever it was, at the time of its printing, it had made global news, even reaching as far as Nuvema Town. Moments later, her mother had discovered her findings, and taken the shoe box away, hiding it out of sight. Despite looking for it now and again throughout the years, Amber never did manage to find it again: for all intents of purposes, it had seemed to vanish without a trace.

Perhaps, Amber wondered, her mother had thrown it away – or even burned it. Yet that didn't seem right, either. Her mother had collected and kept those clippings from years ago, and it made sense that she would still have them now. Thinking of her mother, Amber also recalled how tight-lipped and stiff her mother had been when she'd asked her about Giovanni's 'mystery Pokémon'. She had acted the same, exact way when she'd discovered the shoebox, all those years ago.

Was it possible that Giovanni's 'mystery Pokémon' and the explosion on New Island were connected? Even with the expanse of years in between the two events? It seemed possible. However, the time gap in between the appearance of Giovanni's Pokémon, and the explosion itself, made her hesitate. The only thing that pointed to the two even being related was her mother's steely reaction to both of them, and it wasn't much to go by…until, however, she factored in Giovanni's Pokémon itself.

When the first rumors of Giovanni holding a contest to defeat his 'mystery Pokémon' came about, again, she hadn't really thought much of it at the time. The Viridian Gym leader had probably discovered an unknown Pokémon and caught it, or so she'd assumed. Researchers like her mother and Aunt Aurea were discovering new species of Pokémon all the time. It was only after that the news that this Pokémon started defeating challengers' powerful Pokémon every time, however, that Amber had truly started to feel excited – and deeply intrigued. Even the previously undefeated Gary Oak, who at the time was tipped to become the next Pokémon League Champion, faced defeat at the hands of this 'mystery Pokémon'. News reports soon claimed this Pokémon was 'unbeatable'.

…and the only 'unbeatable' Pokémon that Amber had ever encountered was Mewtwo.

Put together, all of it seemed to make perfect sense. Every time a challenger's Pokémon attempted to attack Mewtwo, they were stopped before they could even get a single hit on him. Instead, Mewtwo deflected them with psychic barriers and telekinesis so strong that it nearly destroyed said challengers. Thinking back, Amber realized that Mewtwo's very fighting style mirrored the newspapers' reports on the battles exactly, as well as the eyewitness descriptions of the Pokémon. The only discrepancy Amber could find was that Mewtwo was certainly not armored; she figured he must have been wearing a suit of armor at the time. Not that he needed it – his powers proved more than enough to protect himself.

Not long after Giovanni began his challenge, his gym, too, had also suffered an explosion. It had made global headlines as well. At the time, Giovanni had come on television news to explain that it had been an accident, caused by faulty wiring in the building. Amber knew, however, that faulty wiring alone wouldn't cause such a massive explosion – it would merely cause a fire. The only Pokémon that Amber could think of that might have that ability was an Electrode, as a group of them might be able to cause such an accident. However, the Viridian Gym did not use Electrodes for power, Pokémon that might use Selfdestruct _en masse_ if attacked – usually, only power plants did. To top it off, reports of the explosion were nothing like Amber had ever heard of, and certainly nothing she'd heard was capable of a Pokémon doing. According to the news, the explosion had ripped apart the entire Gym, sending a bright, blue beam of light into the sky. The entire Gym had to be rebuilt from the ground up. The force of the event had been so powerful that nothing remained to restore.

Luckily, the accident had happened after the Gym had closed. No one had gotten injured or killed, save for Giovanni himself, who claimed that he had narrowly managed to escape death. However, when she thought back on the old news clipping she'd seen, and the jet of blue light in them, Amber knew that it matched the news photos of the Viridian Gym's implosion exactly. To top it off, that same, blue light matched the color and hue of Mewtwo's eyes when the Pokémon performed an attack.

There was no question about it now, in Amber's mind. Mewtwo had not only been Giovanni's 'mystery Pokémon', but had also caused the explosion on New Island, all those years ago. He _had_ to have been. Mewtwo was the one factor all of those events had in common – the one thing that connected them all.

With a sickening, horrible feeling, Amber also realized that meant that Mewtwo had killed people before – a _lot_ of people. What, then, would he do to her? To the rest of the trainers, and all of their Pokémon? Or, for that matter, the entire world, "human and Pokémon alike"?

Would he kill again?

Would he kill _her?_

"Are you going to kill me?" The words slipped out of Amber's mouth before she even realized what she was saying.

Mewtwo stopped immediately in his tracks. There was a moment of silence. To Amber, it seemed like it lasted an eternity. Mewtwo seemed to deliberate whether or not he _was_ going to kill her.

That fact alone filled her with cold-blooded, icy fear. Her pulse hammered against her skull, her heart pounding.

Finally, the psychic Pokémon spoke. _'No.'_

With that, he started to pad his way up the corridor once again. Relief flooded Amber instantly. However, she knew that didn't necessarily mean that Mewtwo wouldn't decide to kill her later. The psychic Pokémon was still just as dangerous and powerful as ever. Amber knew that if Mewtwo _did_ decide to end her life, she was helpless to do anything about it – a fact that made her terribly uneasy.

Finally, they came to a larger hallway. Mewtwo stopped again, turning around to face Amber and her Chandelure.

'_I will spare you and your Pokémon…for now,_' Mewtwo said_. 'However, if you try to interfere again, I will not hesitate to remove you and your Pokémon…permanently.'_ He paused, his eyes narrowing dangerously. _'Do I make myself clear?'_

Amber swallowed. "Crystal," she whispered, her voice cracking.

'_Good,'_ Mewtwo replied. _'You cannot stop me from fulfilling my destiny. I will succeed in carrying out my plans. You will merely be an observer.'_

"And the other trainers and their Pokémon?"

'_I will spare them as well, for the time being,'_ Mewtwo responded._ 'I will need Nurse Joy to nurse the cloned Pokémon back to health. When the clones are healthy, they will need to gain experience in order to evolve.'_

"So you need trainers in order for your Pokémon to battle them."

'_Yes.'_

"Why aren't they like your first clones?"Amber asked. "Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise?"

'_Those Pokémon took years for me to develop,'_ Mewtwo explained. _'I was able to transfer some of my own experience and battle strategies to them over time. I also created a mental link, shared between us, so I could show them my memories of battling. However, thanks to you humans, I can no longer do that with the young ones.'_

"The machine," Amber said. It wasn't a question.

Mewtwo, however, said nothing. He seemed to ignore Amber's statement entirely.

'_We just came from the South Wing of the mansion. It holds my laboratory and the infirmary,'_ Mewtwo said. He pointed to each of the other three corridors as he spoke. _'That is the North Wing. It leads to the dining hall, and the battle arena.' _He paused. _'That is the East Wing. It contains the guest rooms and the atrium, where the humans and their Pokémon will be staying.'_ He paused again_. 'The mansion is now your home, so you can go anywhere you wish, except for the West Wing. It is forbidden for all humans…except for when I call for you.'_

"Call for me?" Amber echoed, confused. "Why me?"

'_Because I desire to,'_ Mewtwo simply said. He paused again, turning towards the East Wing. _'You will find your quarters in the East Wing. There, you may change into a new set of clothes, if you wish. A meal will be served shortly. All of the trainers and their Pokémon will attend.'_ It wasn't a request.

Then, Mewtwo's copy dissolved into thin air. Amber was now alone, save for her Chandelure.

"Well, Chandelure," Amber said. "It looks like it's just you and me."

She turned around, but her Chandelure was gone. It had probably disappeared again through one of the walls, off to go exploring again. She sighed.

"Guess it's just me, then."

Making her way down the corridor to the East Wing, Amber was surprised to find that she didn't have to go far. Soon, the hallway widened, revealing sets of doors on each side. All of the doors, like before, were metal.

However, this time, she wasn't alone. Seven other people were there: Brock, Misty, Fergus, Neesha, Jessie, James, and Corey. They were looking around, seemingly confused.

"Where are we?" Neesha asked.

"I don't know," Corey replied. Suddenly, the doors opened with a slight hiss, revealing the contents of the rooms. "It looks like…rooms?"

"Yeah, it sure does," Fergus commented. "It looks like Mewtwo was planning for us to stay."

"Not exactly," Amber chimed in. Everyone suddenly turned to look at her.

"Amber!" Brock exclaimed, a smile lighting up his face. "You're okay!"

"We thought Mewtwo might have done something bad to you!" Misty added. "You were there, and then, you just disappeared!"

"It was a Teleport attack," Amber explained. "Mewtwo teleported me to some sort of laboratory. Team Rocket was there, and so was Ash." Amber then went on to tell the full story, letting the others know what happened. When she finished, however, Amber noticed something – or, rather, someone – was missing.

"Speaking of Ash, where is he?" Amber inquired. "I don't see him here."

"You mean you don't know where he is?" Misty asked.

"No," Amber said, shaking her head. "I have no idea. Mewtwo must have Teleported him to another part of the mansion."

"And where's Meowth?" James added.

"And our Pokémon?" Neesha added.

"Mewtwo mentioned something about an atrium nearby," Amber said. "I think that all of our Pokémon were Teleported there."

"Hey, I think that's it down the hall," Brock said, pointing down the corridor. There was a door much larger than the others. The trainers and Team Rocket ran over to investigate it. As they reached the door, it opened.

All seven of the humans gasped at the sight before them.

"It's…it's beautiful!" Misty exclaimed.

True to Misty's word, the atrium itself was truly a sight to behold. Under a transparent, glass dome that revealed the blue sky, the room was gigantic. Several different areas of the atrium seemed to hold different environments, and in each of the areas, there were Pokémon. All of their Pokémon seemed to have been released from the metal Pokéballs, and sent to a habitat natural for their species in the wild. Amber's Excadrill and Corey's Sandslash were happily digging around in a small area of desert, while the Misty's and Fergus's Water-type Pokémon were frolicking about in a swampy area with a large water tank. Neesha's Rapidash was grazing in a grassy, plain-like section of the atrium, along with Corey's Rhyhorn and Fergus's Nidoqueen. In the center of it all, stood a humongous volcano, towering above all of the other environments.

Amid the Pokémon, there was also a Dragonite – and it was wearing a satchel. Amber recognized it as the Pokémon that had likely brought all of them their invitations before. The Dragonite seemed to be flying around to each environment, interacting with all of the trainers' Pokémon. When it came to the trainers' three starter Pokémon that had been injured in the battle, it took out what looked to be a potion from its bag. It was currently with Ash's Charizard, spraying the potion on the other Pokémon's injuries.

"Looks like Mewtwo at least knows how to care for our Pokémon," Brock said. "This is positively a Pokémon breeder's dream!"

"Hey, wait," Misty added, pointing to three new Pokémon that seemed to enter the other side of the atrium. "Aren't those Mewtwo's clones?"

"It looks like it," Brock replied. The trainers watched nervously as the Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur surveyed the room, looking at their Pokémon. However, their initial fears were unfounded: the clones walked forward, passing the other Pokémon. Mewtwo's Blastoise joined the other Water-type Pokémon in the swampy area; Venusaur went into a wooded section; and Charizard took flight, heading for the top of the volcano.

"I still don't see Ash or Pikachu," Misty said worriedly.

"Or Meowth," James added.

"Well, there's not much we can do right now," Amber replied. "If he Teleported Ash, Pikachu, and Meowth somewhere else, it's probably for a reason. I don't think that he hurt them in any way. This mansion is huge, and it would take a long time just to search everywhere." She paused. "The best we can do is what Mewtwo wants."

"Well, I'm getting' out of here!" Fergus said. "There's no way I'm gonna stay cooped up for who knows how long! I'm supposed to be battling in the Orange League!"

"Me too!" Neesha added. "Who knows what Mewtwo intends to do with us, and I don't want to stick around to find out."

"I don't think we have a choice," Brock replied grimly. He looked up through the clear, glass ceiling. "From the looks of it, that storm is still surrounding the island. There's no way we'd make it off safely."

"Brock's right," Amber added. "I'm certain that Mewtwo is the one who created the storm." The other trainers gasped in surprise. "And I don't think he's going to stop it anytime soon."

"Mewtwo created the storm?" Jessie asked.

"I knew it something was up with that storm! It was a trap!" Fergus said bitterly.

"There's nothing we can do now but wait," Amber responded. "Trust me, I don't like it, either, but things could be worse. Mewtwo could have locked us all up in some sort of prison. Instead, he's providing rooms, fresh clothes, and proper food."

"Being here is still a prison," Brock said. "We may not be behind bars, but the storm is still barring us from freedom. We can't leave until Mewtwo decides to let us go."

"That may be true," Amber said. "But at least we and our Pokémon are safe for the time being. Let's get situated and change our clothes. I don't know about you guys, but all of my clothes got soaked in the storm."

"Amber has a point," Misty added. "Changing into fresh clothes would be nice."

"Not much choice, is there?" Corey muttered.

Yet all of them seemed to agree with Amber, and soon, they returned to their respective bedrooms. There was one for each of them, and from what they could tell, each bedroom was identical. They had the same layout, the same bed, the same furniture, and the same cold, metal walls. There was a single, glass window in each bedroom, giving the occupants a view of the angry, gray sky outside.

Luckily, each of the bedrooms had its own separate, small bathroom. It had a shower, white towels on a towel rod, a counter and a sink, a small medicine cabinet, and a toilet. Amber started off by shedding her soaked trainer's clothes, stepping into the shower. It didn't take long to figure out how to turn it on, and she exhaled in delight as the hot water hit her skin. Generic shampoo, body wash, and conditioner had been on the bathroom counter, which she took, gladly scrubbing her scalp, hair, and body until every single bit of salt water had been washed away.

After her shower, Amber sauntered out into the bedroom. There was a dresser near the bed, which she briefly explored. The top drawer contained generic-looking undergarments for both men and women, while other drawers contained solid-colored shirts, pants, jeans, socks, and more. In one drawer, there was also a white dress. It was solid-colored, with a few yellow, horizontal lines towards the midriff and the skirt. Amber immediately gravitated towards it, trying it on for size. Surprisingly, it seemed to fit her perfectly. Along with it were white sandals and a white sunhat, which Amber put on after finding them in the bottom drawer.

Walking over to the oval mirror in one corner of the room, Amber did a slight twirl, holding onto her hat. For a Pokémon, Mewtwo certainly seemed to know humans quite well in terms of their clothes and living arrangements, which surprised the green-haired trainer. Then again, he had housed Nurse Joy for about a month, and she'd had to have had the same accommodations that they now all did.

Suddenly, there was a rapt knock at the metal door. Amber assumed it was probably Brock or Misty.

"Come in," Amber called. The door slid open with a small hiss, and Amber turned to see who it was.

"Meowth!" Amber exclaimed. The cat-like Pokémon was standing in her doorway, dressed in a Pokémon-sized black vest and white undershirt. It was more than a bit strange to see a Pokémon dressed up partially like a human, but Meowth seemed to be enjoying it. The Pokémon grinned at her.

"Bet you weren't expecting me, eh?" Meowth said. He looked positively happy. "I've got a new job. Since I can walk and talk like a human, Mewtwo made me his 'personal representative'." The Pokémon paused. "He sent me to tell you dat he wants to dine personally with you tonight."

"Tonight?" Amber repeated. "Away from the other trainers?"

"Dat's right," Meowth affirmed. "I'm suppose to lead you to the West Wing. Dat's where he said to go." He paused again. "Are you ready?" Amber nodded.

"Alright, den. Follow me," Meowth instructed, turning around. Amber followed suit, tailing the cat-like Pokémon through the halls. They passed the junction of the wings, heading into the corridor that housed the West Wing. It looked no different from any of the other wings, but soon, they came to the end of the hall. It held a winding staircase, like that in the main dining hall, and another one with steps. Meowth led her up the stepped one.

They ascended higher and higher, until they finally came to a large room. To Amber, it looked to be some sort of control room, save for the small dining table set up in the middle. A high-backed, metal, curved chair sat at the far end of the room, in front of a window of glass – an observatory of sorts. The chair swung around, and Amber realized that Mewtwo was sitting in it.

'_Leave us,'_ Mewtwo ordered. '_You must return to the humans. Show them to their meal.' _Meowth bowed.

"Your wish is my command, Boss," the cat-like Pokémon responded. Meowth turned away, heading back down the stairs until he was out of sight. Part of Amber desperately wanted Meowth to stay, even if the Pokémon was a thug alongside Team Rocket.

It was just Amber and Mewtwo now. Even though she felt uncomfortable, nervousness welling up in her stomach, Amber forced herself to meet Mewtwo's gaze. Even across the room, Mewtwo's violet eyes stared back, his expression unreadable.

After a moment of pause, Mewtwo stood up. _'I am pleased to see that you came.'_

_Without a fight_, Amber added silently. _It's not like I have much of a choice._ However, she said nothing, simply crossing her arms. She nodded.

'_You look…'_ Mewtwo said, his eyes looking over her new clothes. Amber's feeling of discomfort grew stronger, but she stayed still. _'…presentable. It suits you.'_

"Thank you?" Amber said, more a question than a statement. She wasn't quite sure how to respond to Mewtwo's compliment – especially considering how he'd threatened to kill her and her Pokémon earlier.

'_Please, sit,'_ Mewtwo directed. Amber did so, taking a seat as far away from the psychic Pokémon as possible. There was no way she'd put herself near him – not when he could decide to do anything to her on a whim.

Waving his arm, Mewtwo's eyes flashed blue. Food was Teleported onto the plates set up in the center of the dinner table – but not just any food. There was a myriad of different fruits, vegetables, and a large bowl of steaming, hot soup that gave off a delicious aroma. Already Amber could feel her mouth watering, and her stomach rumbled.

However, glancing back at the psychic Pokémon, Amber hesitated. The Pokémon himself reached for a chair, seating himself at the chair farthest from Amber, as any human would.

'_I can sense that you have not eaten in some time,' _Mewtwo said. _'You are more than welcome to dine.'_

"I _am_ hungry, but…" Amber began, looking over the food uncertainly.

'_I did not poison it, nor drug it,_' Mewtwo added, annoyed. _'If that's what you are thinking.'_

"How can I be sure?"

Mewtwo's tone sounded aggravated, but he replied nonetheless. _'I told you that I would not, so long as you do not interfere with my plans. I have no reason to poison or drug you. If that were the case, I would already have you under my control.'_

Though she certainly didn't trust Mewtwo completely, Amber heard her stomach growl loudly. Hunger gnawed at her stomach, and she knew that she had to eat sooner or later. Thus, Amber proceeded to help herself to generous servings of fruits and vegetables, piling them onto her plate. Next to her plate was a bowl, which she filled with some of the soup.

When she was done, she took one of the fruits – a strawberry – and tentatively took a bite. Her eyes widened.

'_How is it?' _

"It's…" Amber said. "It's absolutely delicious!" Her eyes shone, and she couldn't help but break into a happy smile. "I've never tasted a strawberry this good!" It was true: the flavor seemed to bombard her senses with tastiness. It was the kind of sweetness, juiciness, and flavor that was just right.

'_Volcanic soil is among the most fertile on the planet,'_ Mewtwo told her._ 'Everything you see at this table was grown right here, on this island. It has the perfect blend of nutrients and minerals for plants to grow.'_

"You grew them? Here?"

'_Yes,'_ Mewtwo confirmed. _'Within the atrium is a greenhouse. Over the years, I have genetically modified certain plants and seeds to produce fresh food daily. Some of them grow directly in the atrium, while others are cultivated in the greenhouse.'_

"Wow," Amber responded. "So you have a green thumb. I'd say that's pretty impressive. Who knew?" She paused. "But if you did all of that, then why not share it with the rest of the world? You could change everything. Feed everyone. Gain respect. Cure world hunger."

'_That would not be possible,'_ Mewtwo said flatly. _'Would any of those you know accept that a Pokémon – a clone – achieved something that humans could not?'_

Amber bit her lip. "I guess you're right." She had to concede that fact; Mewtwo did have a point. Many people still thought of Pokémon as lesser or inferior creatures. Many others were unaware that many Pokémon were actually quite intelligent, and in Mewtwo's case, as intelligent – or even more intelligent – than humans themselves. On top of that, if Mewtwo did share his creations with the rest of the world, he would probably put a lot of people – mainly farmers – out of business.

'_The plants thrive in volcanic soil,_' Mewtwo added. '_I created them specifically to grow on this island. I do not think planting them elsewhere would have the same results.'_

"But you could create genetically modified plants to thrive in other environments."

'_I could,' _Mewtwo acknowledged. _'But creating the plants alone took years. It would take a long time for me to simply modify plants for other environments.'_

'_But plants are not what I had hoped to discuss tonight,'_ Mewtwo continued. His eyes met Amber's, his deep pools of violet studying her intently.

"It's not?" Amber asked, in between bites.

'_No,'_ Mewtwo said. _'I wanted to discuss you.'_

"_Me?" _Amber said, surprised. She paused midway through another bite. "But…why? What's so special about me?"

'_You seem…different than the others.'_

"Different?" Amber asked, confused. "How am I different?"

'_You are not like other trainers,'_ Mewtwo explained. _'Most Pokémon trainers treat their Pokémon as slaves. They capture them simply use them as tools of conquest or sport. You…you seem to care about Pokémon. Not just your own, but others as well.'_

"You mean your cloned Pokémon," Amber said. Mewtwo nodded.

'_Humans created me with the sole purpose of being their slave. It is unnatural for most humans to care for anyone beyond themselves….yet caring about others seems to come naturally to you.'_

"Well, of course!" Amber exclaimed. "I mean, it sounds like you've had some bad experience with humans. But not all humans are bad people! A lot of us are good. We can be kind, caring, helpful, and more! You saw that in Nurse Joy, right? Well, Nurse Joy is only one of an entire family that has dedicated their lives to healing Pokémon. Not only that, but my own mother is a Pokémon professor and researcher. She's one of several who spend their time studying and learning new things about Pokémon, all so humans can understand them better, and treat them with respect. All of them truly care about helping others."

'_Not all of them,'_ Mewtwo responded darkly. _'But you are right about Nurse Joy. She is the only human I trust to care for Pokémon.'_ He paused. _'But caring for Pokémon is not the only aspect that makes you different.'_

The psychic Pokémon studied her in silence for a few seconds.

"It's not?" Amber finally inquired, when Mewtwo didn't elaborate. "What do you mean?"

'_There is a psychic block that prevented me from accessing certain parts of your mind,' _Mewtwo replied. _'When I entered your mind, it seemed just like any other human's at first. Yet I hit what you humans would consider a wall. A barrier was preventing me from accessing part of your memories, and other parts of your mind.'_ He paused again. _'Only a very powerful psychic could have put that barrier into place. Someone who is clearly just as powerful as I. Who did such a thing?'_

"What?" Amber asked. Now, she was very confused. She had heard of psychics, and she'd battled against them and their Pokémon. But she had never done anything remotely close to what Mewtwo had just described. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. I've never—"

In the blink of an eye, Mewtwo had risen from his seat, and moved over to Amber's side. Before the green-haired trainer could even react, the psychic Pokémon's paw touched her forehead.

Her own screams pierced her ears as pain ripped through her skull.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash, Pikachu, and Lance were still in Mewtwo's makeshift prison in another part of the mansion.

"You're saying that you're Lance? The dragon master?" Ash asked, looking shocked.

"The one and only," Lance affirmed.

"But…how did you end up here?"

Lance's look darkened. "A few years ago, I was planning on going to the Johto region in order to train at Mt. Silver. However, the day before I was supposed to travel there, I got a mysterious message." The dragon master paused. "It told me to come right away to the Orange Islands – and this island in particular. It was a distress call, and it appeared that it was some sort of emergency. So, I came right away."

"As soon as I arrived on the island," Lance continued, "I knew right away that something was wrong. When I entered the mansion, it appeared to be deserted. I couldn't have been more wrong."

"I was captured by that thing," the dragon master added. "At first, I wasn't sure what it was, though I knew it was a Pokémon. It imprisoned me in this cell, and told me that it needed me 'out of the way'. When I tried to use my Pokémon to get out, it took all of them. Even my Dragonite wasn't spared. As a punishment, it used my Dragonite as its first test subject for its cloning experiments. After that, I was allowed to live in one of the guest rooms, so long as Dragonite's clone stood watch. A few days ago, I was moved back down here."

"Oh," Ash replied. "So if you don't have any Pokémon, how are we going to get out?"

"I've been searching for the answer to that question since I first came here," Lance mumbled bitterly. "But whatever Mewtwo has planned, it can't be good."

"We need to get out of here!" Ash replied, his hands curling around the metal bars. "We can't just let Mewtwo get away with this!"

"You're right," Lance responded. "We need to find a way to get out, starting with this cell." He paused. "And when we do, I'm going to make sure Mewtwo pays for what he's done."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _Pokémon_ and all related literary characters are © 1996 - 2014 to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. This is an unauthorized work of fiction, and should not be regarded as canon or real in any way. "Kindred Spirits", and all unrelated characters, are © 2014 to me, and are not be used in any other works of fanfiction not authorized or written by me without my permission.


	7. Questions

**Author's Note:** First off – I'm sending a big thank-you to Antex the Legendary Zoroark, kitsunelover300, jozs001, Luna the Zekrom, Theothergir, TheQueenofWinds, Naomi Shihoin, and GodShynin300 for reviewing the last chapter! As a side note, due to a lack of an Internet connection, I will be unable to reply to reviews until sometime in September.

Secondly, I would also like to personally thank those who favorite and watched "Kindred Spirits"! If you have already not planned on doing so already, I highly encourage you to review the previous and current chapter (now posted).

There's a bit of repetition from the last chapter of dialogue, with Mewtwo's POV. Feel free to skip over it if you want. At first, I was thinking of setting this story over the course of a month or more, but ultimately, I decided to speed up the timeline and events a bit.

Also, a forewarning: This may contain some content that some readers may find disturbing. (Namely, implications of Pokémon/human attraction.) Reader discretion is advised. If you are disturbed by this, well, if the pairing wasn't already indicative enough, then it will be in this chapter. As this story is K+, and I do not plan on changing the rating, there will be no 'hot Skitty-on-Wailord action'. (If you were expecting this, I'm sorry to disappoint you.)

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

_**- Kindred Spirits -**_

Chapter 6: Questions

* * *

Mewtwo was intrigued.

When he had first seen the human on the camera of his Fearow clone, had had thought little of it. She was just another Pokémon trainer, albeit with rare Pokémon native to the Unova region: nothing more, nothing less.

As time went on, however, and the human had proven herself worthy by making it through the storm, Mewtwo began to take more notice. Not only did this particular human seem vaguely familiar – impossible, since the only humans Mewtwo had known were the scientists, Giovanni, and Nurse Joy – but there was something not quite 'normal' about her. She looked like a normal human, talked like a normal human, and after a brief sweep of her mind, seemed like a normal human. As the human idiom would say, 'if it looks like a Psyduck, walks like a Psyduck, and quacks like a Psyduck, then it probably is a Psyduck'.

As the minutes after his self-reveal passed, however, Mewtwo began to feel more and more agitated. The human girl seemed so familiar to him, and yet, racking his mind, he could not locate a single memory of ever have meeting her before. The only one that he could possibly match it to was one of his very first recollections, of the green-haired and four-eyed scientist who had so foolishly tried to label him as nothing more than the byproduct of an experiment. The human girl did look quite like the man; Mewtwo assumed that there might be some possibility of the two being biologically related. However, he could not know for sure. Just as he cared little for the scientists that had created him, so too did he feel apathy towards the possibility of them having families, children, and lives outside of the island.

Why should he care if he had taken the life of someone's relative? The titles that humans gave and their illogical emotions towards their progeny did not concern him. He did not have a father, or a mother. He had not been born of Pokémon, but created by humans. He had come into this world completely alone, the only one of his kind, only to be used and abused by the humans who sought to control him. His creators, and all of mankind, had taught him that life was cruel and cold.

'_Life is wonderful,'_ came a girl's voice at the back of his mind.

There is was again: the ghost of some old memory. Mewtwo shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought. It came from time to time, unbidden, to the forefront of his brain, fluttering like a moth to the flame of his pain – and his anger. It had haunted him ever since he had first emerged from his artificial womb, and yet, despite years of attempting to rationalize it, he failed to locate why it was there. At times, it seemed to provide him with a sort of conscious, as though someone was pointing out a different perspective to Mewtwo's dark conclusions.

More memories flashed in his mind. Images of a clear blue sky, the sun shining down upon blocks of white, and a soft, gentle breeze flowing around him permeated his thoughts. He floated high above the scenery below, which, for some reason, he knew was a human settlement. This is where people – humans, he corrected himself – lived. Why he had this recollection, he did not know either; he had never visited a human settlement, nor had he seen any reason to.

Shaking his head, Mewtwo's train of thoughts returned to focusing on completing his plans. The second phase of his master scheme was already complete: the best trainers in the Kanto region, and beyond, had fallen for his trap. Before that, he had also managed to lure the elusive and famous Champion of the Kanto Pokémon League, Lance, to the island, capturing and imprisoning him successfully. Now that the greatest Pokémon trainers and masters in all of Kanto were out of the way, he could begin phase three of his strategy.

…or, he would have been able to start it, if not for those dimwitted, meddling humans.

Everything had been going so well, according to plan. The trainers had foolishly challenged him, and one by one, each of their evolved Kanto starters had fallen to his clones. Even the oh-so-familiar human girl, who had in turn defied him with her Unova starter, had fallen to the might of Mewtwo's Venusaur. He had then removed the girl from the picture, claiming her as his prize. He had also removed her from the picture, Teleporting her down to his lab, where he knew that she could do little to interfere there. Unknown to him, however, there had been other humans in the lab – more trainers who had somehow managed to get to the island, yet slip between his paws.

Mewtwo also did not fail to notice the red 'R' logos on the stowaways' uniforms. It was the mark of Team Rocket, Giovanni's own servants, though these uniforms were white as opposed to other grunts' black ones. For about two seconds, Mewtwo had considered killing them on the spot. He could not afford to have loose ends – especially not ones who were likely spies for Giovanni. After scanning their minds, however, the psychic Pokémon realized that the two grunts had only made it to the island out of sheer, dumb luck. Not only that, but their thoughts seemed preoccupied with capturing the Pikachu of one of the trainers. It was obvious that the two were little more than bumbling idiots, and Mewtwo knew that Giovanni would never send such idiotic servants to spy on, much less try to capture, him. Therefore, they posed no threat.

The one thing that did intrigue Mewtwo was that the Rockets' Meowth had appeared to learn the human language, and way of walking. Though Mewtwo's instinct was one of disgust – a Pokémon acting like a human was an aberration, just as human themselves were – his thoughts overrode his knee-jerk reaction. This Meowth could, perhaps, prove to be useful. So, he made the Meowth his 'personal representative' – a mediator between him and the humans – which the cat-like Pokémon was all too happy to do. It served two purposes: one, Mewtwo would not have to waste his energy on Double Team attacks just to communicate with the humans; and two, he would never have to interact with the human trainers directly unless he desired to. Mewtwo quickly deemed it was what humans would call a 'win-win situation'.

Besides, at least the Rocket grunts had possessed at least enough common sense not to touch his machine or equipment. The owner of the Pikachu that Team Rocket seemed to so foolishly desire, however, did not.

The black-haired boy had somehow managed to make it to his laboratory, where, due to his recklessness, he had nearly destroyed his cloning machine. The same human had almost killed all of the newly created cloned Pokémon, all for the sake of getting back the very same Pikachu. Yet Mewtwo did not care to differentiate between the boy, Team Rocket, and even the girl. Were it not for humans, none of this would have happened. Humans were reckless, impulsive, selfish, and cared only for themselves – a conclusion that had been reinforced even more so by the boy's desire to get his Pikachu back, and Team Rocket's thoughts of greed in stealing the Pokémon from him.

So why, then, had the girl acted differently?

She, unlike her black-haired male counterpart, had not even bothered to try and retrieve her own Pokémon. Additionally, she had displayed concern over the welfare of Mewtwo's clones, even offering to help. The psychic Pokémon's tail twitched in annoyance as he considered that fact, his mouth forming a thin, tight line. There was one prominent, nagging question in his mind.

_Why?_

Why was she so very familiar to him, and why had she acted so differently from the other Pokémon trainers?

Heavy, approaching footsteps brought Mewtwo out of his musings. Turning his head slightly to see who it was, the psychic Pokémon saw that it was the clone of Lance's Dragonite. The dragon Pokémon still had its satchel draped across its form; it stopped as soon as it had alighted on the floor of the control room. The Pokémon made a noise as it looked curiously around the room, speaking in its native tongue.

'_Why have I asked you to set this up?'_ Mewtwo repeated. _'This is what is called a human dining table. It is how human normally eat their meals.'_

Another response from the Pokémon. Mewtwo's eyes narrowed. _'You ask why I have chosen to eat like a human? That is my own business.'_

The Dragonite scratched its head, and sounded its voice again.

'_My interest in the girl is of no concern to you,'_ Mewtwo said, his tone clipped. _'Now, fetch the Secretpotion, and attend to the injured Pokémon.'_

The Dragonite bowed in response, submitting to Mewtwo's authority. Flapping its wings, the dragon Pokémon departed the same way it came, leaving Mewtwo alone with his thoughts. The psychic Pokémon was seated in his curved, metal chair, staring out through the glass at the raging storm outside.

The hurricane outside, Mewtwo mused, was a reflection of his own inner turmoil. Rage, irritation, and sheer spite swirled inside him, and he could envision them as a dark, angry cloud. Meanwhile, his tail swayed to and fro, moving as he continued to think over the girl. She was a curiosity, perhaps even an abnormality: her mind possessed a powerful psychic block. The discovery of it had deeply surprised Mewtwo at first, but his shock had soon turned to burning curiosity.

Why did she have a psychic block in the first place?

Was there something that someone wished to conceal?

Combined with the fact that the girl did look very familiar to him, Mewtwo's interest only grew. He wondered if the girl was indeed related to the ill-fated scientist who had created him, and if so, had the scientist sought to conceal something about Mewtwo in his relation's own mind?

Mewtwo heard the sound of two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs, and one was undoubtedly human. The other one was Meowth. Swiveling his chair around, Mewtwo dismissed Meowth, leaving himself and the human alone.

Immediately, Mewtwo could sense the human girl's unease. Part of him felt satisfied that she would feel uncomfortable around him; after all, according to one of the human books he's procured, 'it is better to be feared than loved'. However, another part of him felt the urge to try and make her more comfortable around him. Perhaps he should try something that humans did in conversations. After a moment's deliberation, Mewtwo decided to try and calm her with what he considered a compliment.

However, the human seemed confused that he'd tried to compliment her at all. Internally, Mewtwo sighed, feeling frustrated. Couldn't she see that he was trying to be 'nice' to her?

Another part of him told him he had no obligation at all to be 'nice' to a human, yet the logical conclusion he'd come to inferred that being 'nice' to her might help gain her trust. If he gained her trust, then she might be able to tell him the answers he found himself craving for.

He directed her to sit, and soon followed suit. Having never quite done this before, Mewtwo found it awkward and strange to seat himself on the stiff, metal chair. He managed to snake his tail through on opening in the back, but the seat was still rather uncomfortable. He made a mental note to himself to fix that later. He'd also Teleported food from the kitchens onto the table, after he'd had Dragonite prepare it earlier for their meal. No sooner than the food had appeared, the human's hunger was apparent.

Yet she hesitated, holding back.

'_I can sense that you have not eaten in some time,'_ Mewtwo said. _'You are more than welcome to dine.'_

"I am hungry, but…" the girl began, looking over the food uncertainly.

'_I did not poison it, nor drug it,'_ Mewtwo added, addressing her assumptions. Annoyance rose in his chest again, and his tail flicked accordingly. _'If that's what you are thinking.'_

"How can I be sure?"

Mewtwo was aggravated, but he replied nonetheless. _'I told you that I would not, so long as you do not interfere with my plans. I have no reason to poison or drug you. If that were the case, I would already have you under my control.'_

While he had indeed considered the pleasure that would be brought from possibly poisoning the humans, somehow, the human girl's suspicions greatly bothered him. The very fact that it bothered him at all was irritating in itself. Was he beginning to grow soft on this particular human?

_No,_ he assured himself. _I need her and the other trainers to battle the clones against for the young ones to gain experience. This girl may also have valuable information. It is nothing more than that. _

Finally, the human began to grab some of the food, piling it on her plate. When she was done, she took one of the fruits – a strawberry – and tentatively took a bite. Her eyes widened.

'_How is it?'_ Mewtwo inquired.

"It's…" she said. "It's absolutely delicious!" Her eyes shone, and her face broke into a happy smile. "I've never tasted a strawberry this good!"

Strangely, Mewtwo felt deceitful happiness at this. _No more than an affirmation of what I already know, a validation of my success_, he reminded himself.

'_Volcanic soil is among the most fertile on the planet,'_ Mewtwo told her. _'Everything you see at this table was grown right here, on this island. It has the perfect blend of nutrients and minerals for plants to grow.'_

"You grew them? Here?"

'_Yes,'_ Mewtwo confirmed. _'Within the atrium is a greenhouse. Over the years, I have genetically modified certain plants and seeds to produce fresh food daily. Some of them grow directly in the atrium, while others are cultivated in the greenhouse.'_

"Wow," she responded. "So you have a green thumb. I'd say that's pretty impressive. Who knew?" She paused. Meanwhile, Mewtwo felt another surge of pleasure and satisfaction at her lauding words. "But if you did all of that, then why not share it with the rest of the world? You could change everything. Feed everyone. Gain respect. Cure world hunger."

Mewtwo's satisfaction returned to dourness.

'_That would not be possible,'_ Mewtwo replied flatly. _'Would any of those you know accept that a Pokémon – a clone – achieved something that humans could not?'_

The girl bit her lip. "I guess you're right."

'_The plants thrive in volcanic soil,'_ Mewtwo added. He really wanted to stress the importance of _not _leaving the island. Not yet, anyways, and it certainly wouldn't be to help humans. _'I created them specifically to grow on this island. I do not think planting them elsewhere would have the same results.'_

"But you could create genetically modified plants to thrive in other environments," the girl pressed.

'_I could,'_ Mewtwo acknowledged. Strangely, as he chose his words, he didn't go for more scathing ones, even though he knew that he was quite capable of them. _'But creating the plants alone took years. It would take a long time for me to simply modify plants for other environments.'_

'_But plants are not what I had hoped to discuss tonight,'_ Mewtwo continued. His eyes met the human's, his gaze boring into her own. He searched her eyes – violet, like his own – as if he were trying to read into her soul.

"It's not?"

'_No,'_ Mewtwo said. _'I wanted to discuss you.'_

"Me?" the human asked, clearly surprised. She paused midway through a bite. "But…why? What's so special about me?"

'_You seem…different than the others,' _Mewtwo admitted.

The human girl asked how she was different.

'_You are not like other trainers,'_ Mewtwo explained. _'Most Pokémon trainers treat their Pokémon as slaves. They capture them simply use them as tools of conquest or sport. You…you seem to care about Pokémon. Not just your own, but others as well.'_

"You mean your cloned Pokémon." Mewtwo nodded.

'_Humans created me with the sole purpose of being their slave. It is unnatural for most humans to care for anyone beyond themselves….yet caring about others seems to come naturally to you.'_

"Well, of course!" the girl exclaimed. "I mean, it sounds like you've had some bad experience with humans. But not all humans are bad people! A lot of us are good. We can be kind, caring, helpful, and more! You saw that in Nurse Joy, right? Well, Nurse Joy is only one of an entire family that has dedicated their lives to healing Pokémon. Not only that, but my own mother is a Pokémon professor and researcher. She's one of several who spend their time studying and learning new things about Pokémon, all so humans can understand them better, and treat them with respect. All of them truly care about helping others."

'_Not all of them,'_ Mewtwo responded darkly. He found himself admiring her passion and zeal on the subject, but his memories of the scientists' apathy towards his well-being lingered in his mind. It was almost like a bad taste in his mouth. _'But you are right about Nurse Joy. She is the only human I trust to care for Pokémon.' _He paused. _'But caring for Pokémon is not the only aspect that makes you different.'_

He studied her in silence for a few seconds.

"It's not?" the human asked, filling the silence. "What do you mean?"

'_There is a psychic block that prevented me from accessing certain parts of your mind,' _Mewtwo replied. _'When I entered your mind, it seemed just like any other human's at first. Yet I hit what you humans would consider a wall. A barrier was preventing me from accessing part of your memories, and other parts of your mind.' _He paused again. _'Only a very powerful psychic could have put that barrier into place. Someone who is clearly just as powerful as I. Who did such a thing?'_

"What?" the girl asked. Mewtwo could sense more confusion coming from her. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about. I've never—"

Before she could finish, Mewtwo made up his mind. It was clear that the human knew nothing about the block, and it was no use questioning her about it. There was only one way he would be able to find out the answers he was seeking for sure.

He needed to try and remove the block himself.

In the blink of an eye, Mewtwo had risen from his seat, and moved over to the girl's side. Before the green-haired trainer could even react, the psychic Pokémon's paw touched her forehead. Before the human could even react to what he was doing, Mewtwo was invading her mind. His mental probes found the block in an instant, attempting to crack through the powerful psychic barrier.

The human's first response was to start screaming.

Startled at first, Mewtwo nearly flinched at the sharp cries of pain from the girl. Briefly, a flicker of something crossed his mind – the impulse to stop, that he was hurting her – but he quickly brushed it off. The psychic Pokémon pressed on, exploring the wall in the girl's mind. Whoever had put it there, it was a nearly impenetrable wall. He was trying to find the chinks in the armor, trying to crack through it with his powerful Psychic attacks, and yet, he was finding none.

Mewtwo clenched his jaw in irritation. He was not used to having to wait this long to get what he wanted; patience was not his strong suit. He knew that if he attacked the girl too much, for too long, her mind would not be able to handle it. At best, her consciousness would snap in half like a twig, leaving her broken or insane; or, at worst, he would kill her.

He knew that he should not care for this human. She should be nothing to him – just another hapless Pokémon trainer – and just another low form of life. He had taken great pleasure in killing the scientist who may yet be her relative. Yet a part of him seemed to feel her agony with each scream, his stomach twisting in horrible knots as bile rose in his throat.

He realized that he could not bring himself to kill her. The very thought made him physically ill.

However, as he unleashed another wave of offensive psychic energy at the wall in her mind, something completely unexpected happened.

Suddenly, agonizing pain tore through Mewtwo's skull. The psychic Pokémon stumbled back onto the floor, breaking his contact with the girl. A paw flew to his forehead, and he bit down so hard, trying not to scream, that he could taste the blood in his mouth.

'_How…'_ the Pokémon whispered. He struggled to open his eyes. His vision tilted and swam; it was blurred, and everything looked to be multiplied as it shifted. The bile burned up his throat, threatening to make him retch, as a wave of nausea overtook him. The girl's mind had somehow deflected his latest Psychic attack back at him. _'That's…not possible…'_

The world careened around Mewtwo as he still struggled to his feet. Slowly, his vision began to right itself, and he saw that the girl's form, crumpled on the ground.

Inching his way slowly over to her – while trying not to lose the contents of his stomach – the psychic Pokémon reached out his paw. Moving it over to the girl's neck, he fumbled for the pulse – a human technique he had seen in Nurse Joy's mind – and exhaled in relief when he found that she wasn't dead.

As the minutes bore on, Mewtwo's nausea and ill feelings began to fade. He soon regained his health, and stood up, stretching to his full height. The girl, however, was still unconscious. Briefly probing her mind again, Mewtwo found that she had suffered no brain damage, but the shock of the experience had put her in a peculiar state. To him, it seemed almost like she had put herself in some sort of self-induced coma, her mind forming what he could only describe as 'a psychic cocoon'. Already Mewtwo could sense her mind had begun to recuperate, healing itself…but, as she was human, her brain would take longer to return to full health than his.

Bending down, Mewtwo reached his arms under the girl's back, testing her weight. Luckily for him, she wasn't too heavy, but it would still be an effort to carry her. He was a Psychic-type Pokémon, not a Fighting-type one. Her weight sagged against his underdeveloped muscles as her head lolled back, her green hair dangling as he carried her towards the exit.

It didn't take long to transport her back to her room. He merely exercised his psychic powers to float down to the lower level of the wing, walking down the halls, until he came to the East Wing. The humans and their Pokémon were still in the dining hall, eating their meals, as the wing was deserted. He checked each of the rooms until he came across the one that contained the clothes the trainer had been wearing before, folded up neatly on the floor to the side of the bed.

Padding his way over to the bed, Mewtwo's eyes briefly glowed blue. The comforter and sheets were pulled back with a jerk. The psychic Pokémon laid the girl gently on the bed, brushing her hair back under her neck as he did so. He also couldn't help but notice how soft her hair felt under his paw…almost as soft as a Pokémon's, Mewtwo realized.

Looking down at her, the human girl looked so…_peaceful_. It was an emotion that Mewtwo had never experienced himself, even since his birth. He leaned down, his gaze studying her facial features. Mewtwo's eyes noticed her skin, tanned by years of sun exposure; her closed eyes, framed by thick, long lashes; the dainty-looking nose; and, last but not least, her thin, pink lips. He had to admit that, for a human, she did look quite…_pretty_.

'_They call me 'Ambertwo','_ a voice came in his head. _'But I'm still really Amber.'_

'_Amber…'_ Mewtwo murmured. He closed his eyes, straining to catch onto the ghost of the voice – the memory – before it faded away completely. He was able to catch a fleeting glimpse of a little girl with green hair and violet eyes, smiling at him as she vanished.

Yes. Amber was her name. Mewtwo realized now that the girl in front of him, and the girl in his memories, were one and the same. Yet that raised a host of new questions. He had set out to find answers, and had raised only a hundred more questions.

Who was Amber? Why did he remember her? What was hidden behind the barrier in her mind, and who had placed it there?

Mewtwo suspected that, if he could manage to get that barrier down - even just slightly - the answers would be there. For now, however, he needed to let Amber get some much-needed rest. Just before he stepped back, however, Amber began to mumble.

"Mew…two…" she whispered. The psychic Pokémon, startled, took a step back. "Don't…go…"

'_How…?'_ Mewtwo uttered, looking at her strangely. Amber was talking in her sleep, but her request shocked him to his core. _'Why…?'_

Why did she not want him to leave?

Amber turned over, her sleep turning fitful. She moved to and fro, her hair splaying out against the pristine, white sheets. Part of Mewtwo felt concerned for the human – why, he could not say – but he didn't leave. Instead, he padded back over to the bed, seating himself on the edge next to Amber's dozing form.

As soon as he did so, she immediately seemed to calm. A peaceful look once again crossed her features.

Mewtwo continued to study her form, noting every detail. What was it like to be human, he wondered? To be so frail and weak, without as much as a single ability to protect yourself? To have to rely on Pokémon to defend you, even help with tasks? Mewtwo felt his instinctual disgust of humans, but oddly, with Amber's presence, the feeling faded quickly. The traitorous thoughts swirled in his mind, eluding his attempts to push them to the back of his brain.

He had called himself 'the world's greatest Pokémon master'. Was he, then, no better than the humans he had despised so much? _No_, he decided. Humans showed Pokémon no respect, even when a Pokémon had managed to become the world's greatest Pokémon master. Humans enslaved their Pokémon in Pokéballs, whereas his own Pokémon obeyed him simply out of loyalty. He was a clone, and his Pokémon's creator. He had made them in his own image. Yet another part of his mind nagged at this thought, whispering that he truly was no better than Lance, the Pokémon master he had captured.

Yet this particular trainer was something…_different_ altogether. There was something about her that he couldn't just place his paw on.

After several minutes of watching Amber's slumbering form, Mewtwo decided to move onto his work. As much as part of him hated the idea of leaving Amber alone, he had to get back to working on his scheme. The thoughts concerning him and humanity were also beginning to quickly get on his nerves. Steeling himself, he got off the bed, striding to the door and down the hall before the humans could return to their quarters.

World domination – that's what he had pronounced to the world. It was his destiny.

No one, not even a lowly human, could change that.

_No_, the little girl's voice in his mind reminded him. _I'm not just a human. I'm a person._

* * *

Down in the holds of the prison in the South Wing, Lance, Ash, and Pikachu had been languishing for a few hours. Since Ash and Pikachu had been Teleported there, none of them had seen so much as a single human or Pokémon come by their way.

"Hey!" Ash called down the empty hall. His voice was hoarse from yelling for the past few hours. "Is anybody there?"

"_Pika!"_

"Helloooooo!" Ash called again. His voice echoed down the metal walls, but he was met with nothing but silence.

"It's no use, Ash," Lance said quietly. He was sitting on the cot again, his back facing the wall. "No one's here."

"Wait!" Ash said quickly. "I think I hear someone coming!"

True to Ash's word, there were heavy footsteps coming down the hall. Soon, a Dragonite had appeared, striding steadily towards them. It was carrying two, metal trays with food in its paws. Ash noticed that it was the very same Dragonite that had delivered his invitation at lunchtime, even though it seemed like days ago.

"Hey! Dragonite!" Ash exclaimed. He tried to get the Pokémon's attention, but it seemed to ignore him. "Hey! Can you let us out?"

"That's not my Dragonite, Ash," Lance told him. "That's Mewtwo's clone. It brings food and water for prisoners down here three times a day."

The Dragonite briefly stopped at the door. Reaching into its satchel, it drew out a large ring of metal keys. Taking one of the keys, it unlocked the door, swung it open, and offered the two trays of food to Ash and Lance.

"Err…thanks…" Ash said. He awkwardly took his tray, which also had a packet of plastic utensils, a napkin, and a cup of water on it. Lance followed suit, giving a grim nod to the dragon Pokémon.

Then, reaching into its bag, the Dragonite brought out a plastic bag filled with dark, rounded pellets. It offered the bag to Pikachu, which the Pokémon accepted.

The Dragonite seemed to smile, looking pleased that the prisoners had accepted their rations without a fight. The Pokémon turned, went out of the cell, and locked the door behind it. Before long, it was gone, having headed back the way it came.

"Well, so much for making an escape," Ash mumbled. "Maybe we should have tried a Thunderbolt attack or something."

"_Pika pika…"_

"I'm glad you didn't," Lance replied. "That would only make it angry. At least we're getting decent food in here."

"Yeah, we've got food," Ash said. "But what about using the bathroom?"

Lance pointed to a single, small metal toilet at the back of the cell. A look of embarrassment crossed Ash's face.

"Well, that explains it."

"Ash!" Lance said suddenly. Turning, Ash saw that Lance's eyes were focused on the hallway. "Look there!"

Following Lance's gaze, Ash turned his eyes and saw what Lance meant. Heading towards them was another Pokémon, floating in midair. This one was a pink, bipedal Pokémon with mammalian features. Its snout was short and wide, and it had triangular ears with large, blue eyes. It also had three-fingered paws, large feet, and a long, thin tail ending in an oval tip. Compared to its hind legs, its arms were short, and quite small.

"_Mew!"_ the Pokémon called. Noticing the people in the cell, it floated over to them. Twirling elegantly, it gazed at them with curiosity.

"It's a Mew!" Lance exclaimed.

"Mew?" Ash asked.

"Mew is one of the most ancient Pokémon ever discovered," Lance explained. "In fact, it's theorized to be the first Pokémon to come into existence." Lance paused, looking at the Mew as it bobbed, floating. "But it's been extinct for thousands of years."

"If it's extinct, then what's it doing here?" Ash inquired.

"I don't know," Lance admitted. He moved over to the front of the cell, looking at Mew eye-to-eye.

"Hello there," he greeted the Pokémon, with a smile. "I'm Lance. Nice to meet you."

"_Mew!"_

Suddenly, the Mew disappeared. In an instant, however, it reappeared – behind the bars, directly in the cell. Ash gave a cry of surprise.

"Relax, Ash," Lance said. "It's just using a Teleport attack."

"_Mew!"_ The Pokémon seemed to make a beeline right for Pikachu. _"Mew, mew mew!"_

"I think it wants some of Pikachu's food," Ash remarked.

"_Pika pika…"_ the Pikachu's ears twitched as it looked at Mew. Then, after a short pause, Pikachu offered the bag of food to Mew. Mew accepted it happily, doing somersaults in the air.

"Hey, Pikachu," Ash said. "I think you've made a new friend."

Mew proceeded to remove about half of the Pokémon food, and then offered the bag back to Pikachu. The two Pokémon munched on the food happily, making noises of satisfaction and delight. Meanwhile, the two trainers took the opportunity to eat their food as well. Lance and Ash both shared the cot, eating and drinking what Dragonite had provided for them.

"Well, one thing's for sure," Ash said, in between chewing. "Mewtwo has an amazing cook! This is almost as good as some of the food that Brock makes."

"I agree with you there," Lance replied. With a sip of his water, he swallowed the last bite of his food, and then set his tray down. "I'm sure glad it's not prison slop."

"Say, Mew," Lance added. The psychic Pokémon turned its blue gaze to the dragon master. "Would you be able to help us out?"

Mew gave a nod of acknowledgement. A smile broke out across Lance's features.

"Great!" Lance said. "Can you Teleport us out of here?" After a moment of silence, Mew gave another nod.

Then, in an instant, the two trainers and Pokémon found themselves standing outside of the cell. Nausea overcame Ash and Pikachu, the former wobbled on his feet, clutching his stomach.

"T-That was fast…" Ash mumbled.

"Hold onto your stomach, Ash," Lance advised. "At least we're free." The dragon master turned to Mew, nodding. "Thank you, Mew!"

"_Mew, mew, mew!"_ Mew replied, looking quite happy.

"So, now what?" Ash asked.

"Well, we can't stay here," Lance said. "It won't be long until Mewtwo's Dragonite discovers that we've escaped. Since it brought what I assumed was dinner, that means we probably have about a half a day to figure out an escape plan."

Ash nodded, looking determined. "Right. But we can't leave without the others."

Lance turned to Ash. "There are others here?"

"Yeah," Ash confirmed. "Mewtwo invited a few trainers to the island. There's six of them in all, including my friends Misty and Brock."

"I see," Lance responded. He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Misty and Brock, as in the Gym leaders of the Pewter and Cerulean City Gyms?" Ash nodded. "Hmm. Well, we can't leave without them, that's for sure. We'll need to figure out a way to get everyone off the island safely."

"What about Mewtwo?"

"That's a good question," Lance said. "I think, for now, we'll have to figure out a way to escape without being detected by it. If Mewtwo realizes we're trying to get away, he might never let us leave."

Lance turned his gaze back to Mew. "Mew, will you help all of us and our Pokémon get us safely off this island?"

The Pokémon nodded. _"Mew, mew, mew. Mew, Mew, mew, mew!"_

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," Lance replied. His features hardened. "Alright, then. Let's get started."

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _Pokémon_ and all related literary characters are © 1996 - 2014 to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. This is an unauthorized work of fiction, and should not be regarded as canon or real in any way. "Kindred Spirits", and all unrelated characters, are © 2014 to me, and are not be used in any other works of fanfiction not authorized or written by me without my permission.


	8. Dreams

**Author's Note:** First off – I'm sending a big thank-you to Antex the Legendary Zoroark, kitsunelover300, jozs001, Wicken25, Theothergir, Luna the Zekrom, Naomi Shihoin, and GodShynin300 for reviewing the last chapter! I'm happy to say that I got this chapter done in record time, though it may be filler. I was planning on getting to more Amber/Mewtwo relationsip development, which has been pushed back to the upcoming chapter.

Secondly, I would also like to personally thank those who favorite and watched "Kindred Spirits"! If you have already not planned on doing so already, I highly encourage you to review the previous and current chapter (now posted).

A side note: Like the last chapter, there is a bit of repetition, namely with the dream sequence and dialogue below. The dialogue itself is from "The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin" short, as it was in the Prologue.

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

_**- Kindred Spirits -**_

Chapter 7: Dreams

* * *

_In her sleep, Amber dreamt._

_She was surrounded on all sides by water. Completely submerged, she floated in a body of water, a peaceful silence pervading her environment. Somehow, it made her feel relaxed and at ease…at peace. Weightless and lighter in the water, the green-haired human felt the light brushes of sea grass as they tickled her ankles. Her eyes were closed as she let the darkness envelop her, taking in her other senses. Despite being underwater, she felt that she had no need to breathe._

"_Mew," a voice called, high-pitched and resonant. There was a ripple in the water._

_That voice..., Amber thought. She opened her eyes. The lake floor was covered in the foliage: all around her, the bright green spread out like a vast expanse of vibrant carpet._

"_Mew."_

_There is was again. Amber felt a pull within her, drawing her to the source of the noise. Tilting her head up, she saw the lake, crystal-clear and illuminated. Light filtered down and danced across the surface of the water. Moving shadows of what looked to be trees seemed to sway to an invisible wind._

"_Mew."_

_The urge to follow the voice strengthened. Somehow, Amber knew that it was outside, past the top of the water. Kicking her legs and arms into action, she swam up, breaking the surface of the water. As soon as did, she felt herself floating up. She drifted, higher and higher into the air, as she took in the scenery around her. Lush forests, equally as green and full of life as the grass on the lakebed, were all around her. In the distance, a massive, snow-capped mountain stood proudly, a silent and watchful guardian over the land below._

_Then, she saw a Pokémon, flying off into the distance._

_It was a pink, bipedal Pokémon with mammalian features. Its snout was short and wide, and it had triangular ears with large, blue eyes. It also had three-fingered paws, large feet, and a long, thin tail ending in an oval tip. Compared to its hind legs, its arms were short, and quite small. Though she knew she had never encountered it before, the knowledge of its name came to the front of her mind._

_Mew. _

_The scenery around her abruptly shifted. The mountain and forests faded away, and a series of different images took its place. First, there was a black abyss, where strangely, a woman in a lab coat and herself were talking. With a start, Amber realized that she was looking at a younger version of her own mother, Professor Leona Juniper._

'_I'm…different now, aren't I? …What…what am I?'_

"_You're not quite human…but you're not quite Pokémon, either. You're…a bit of both."_

'_Pokémon? …But how can I be a Pokémon?'_

"_Not a Pokémon. Just part Pokémon. We added another part of a Pokémon to you…Mew."_

'_Mew? Is that a Pokémon?'_

"_Yes. Legend has it that it was the most powerful Pokémon to have ever existed. The first Pokémon. That must be why you can use telepathy."_

'_Tel-e-pa-thy? …What's that?'_

"_It means that you can read minds, just like a Psychic Pokémon. From the looks of it, you can do even more."_

'_Is Mew a Psychic Pokémon?' _

"_Yes, it is. It appears that you have some of Mew's powers."_

_Her mother faded away, and was replaced, even more oddly, with what appeared to be a younger version of Mewtwo. He looked like a baby version of himself, his eyes filled with wide-eyed curiosity and awe._

'_Where am I? Who am I? What am I? …I sense others near me…what are those strange sounds they make…?' _

'_Those are words,' Amber saw and heard her younger self say. She had a weird, tingling sense of déjà vu. 'They're talking.'_

'_Huh? …What are you?' Mewtwo asked, looking at her younger self in wonderment._

'_What do you mean? I'm a girl. A person.'_

'_A person?' he repeated, unsure. 'Am I a person?'_

'_Well, you look like a Pokémon, but talk. I didn't know a Pokémon could talk like a person.'_

'_Pokémon? Person? What are those? Which one am I?'_

'_Maybe it makes a difference to you if you're a Pokémon or a person, but not to me,' she responded. She giggled and twirled in a circle. 'If you're in this place, I guess you must be the same as all of us, then.'_

_Three other Pokémon appeared: a Charmander, a Squirtle, and a Bulbasaur. Amber realized that they were the lowest evolved forms of Mewtwo's starter clones that he'd used earlier in battle._

'_Charmander!' _

'_Bulbasaur!'_

'_Squirtle!'_

'_Everybody here's a copy,' Amber's younger self explained, twirling around. 'That's why there's a 'two' after all our names.'_

'_I don't understand.'_

'_They call me 'Ambertwo', but I'm still really Amber.'_

'_Who am I?' _

'_They call you 'Mewtwo', and these three are Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle.' _

'_Squirtle!'_

'_Bulbasaur!'_

'_Char!' the red lizard said, breathing a spurt of fire._

_The scenery changed again. This time, it depicted a picturesque suburban neighborhood, filled with rows of white-colored houses with well-manicured, green lawns. A blue sky dotted with a few clouds was overhead, and the sun was shining brightly. Amber's sense of familiarity grew, but she knew she couldn't have known this place. She and her mother had always lived in Nuvema Town, and it certainly didn't have communities like this._

'_I call this my 'remember place'. 'This is where I used to live.'_

_The environment shifted yet again. Day became night, and the sun became the moon and stars. Slowly, one by one, each one of the starter Pokémon began to fade. _

'_Where did they go?' Mewtwo asked. Then, with a sense of great unease, Amber watched as her younger self began to fade as well._

'_What's wrong, Amber?' Mewtwo asked, alarmed. She, too, could feel icy fear flood her stomach and body. 'What's happening?'_

'_It feels…like it's time…to say goodbye…' _

'_Good-bye?' Mewtwo asked confusedly. 'I feel…something…' He paused, reaching to feel his eyes. Wiping, he drew away a single, glistening drop. 'What are…these?'_

'_They're tears. You're crying.'_

'_Crying?'_

'_My Daddy used to tell me a bedtime story…that when Pokémon are sad, and they cry, their tears are filled with light.' Her younger self smiled benevolently. _

'_I'm so…sad…' _

'_I have to go.'_

'_Why?'_

'_I don't know. But it's alright. Thank you for caring about me…and don't cry, Mewtwo. You should be happy,' she said, sighing. She was vanishing at a faster rate now, her body gone, and her face rapidly dissolving. 'You're alive, and life is wonderful…'_

_Then, she was gone. They were alone again, surrounded once more by darkness. Only this time, it was suffocating. Amber felt as though a weight sat on her chest, and she struggled a bit for air._

'_These tears…what are they?' Mewtwo asked. No one answered, and Amber felt her heart constrict._

'_Please, Amber! Come back!' Mewtwo pleaded. 'Don't go, please! AMBER!' Fear now paralyzed Amber's body, and she felt as though the abyss were closing in on her. It threatened to constrict her, to crush the air out of her lungs. She wanted to reach out, to grab a hold of Mewtwo, who looked so small and terrified, and pull him into a hug. Yet when she tried to move her arms, they felt like lead. _

_Then, the younger Mewtwo morphed into the older version of Mewtwo – the one she was familiar with. Turning, the older Mewtwo met Amber's eyes with a cold glare._

'_You left me,' the psychic Pokémon accused. 'Why did you leave me?'_

"_Mewtwo, please!" Amber heard herself speak. "I had to go!"_

'_You left me all alone. You abandoned me,' Mewtwo added. 'I almost died because of you.'_

"_No!" Amber protested. "Mewtwo, please, just listen to me!"_

'_You are no better than the humans who brought me into this world,' Mewtwo continued on, his voice callous and biting. 'You said it didn't matter to you if I was a Pokémon or a person. I thought you cared about me.' He paused. 'Now, I realize you were just a selfish and self-serving as them.'_

_The psychic Pokémon turned his back to her, beginning to step further into the darkness. _

"_No! Wait!" Amber called after him. She found she was able to move now, and she broke into a run after him. Yet with each step that Mewtwo took, the distance between them seemed to grow further and further apart. "Mewtwo! Don't go!"_

_The Pokémon ignored her. Amber struggled to catch her breath, but kept running. _

"_Mew…two!" she cried again. "Don't…go!"_

* * *

With a start, Amber woke up.

She bolted upright in bed, her back as stiff as a board. Gasping for air, she felt the cool, clammy, sticky feeling of sweat on her skin – she was drenched in it. Slowly, she took in her surroundings: she was in bed in Mewtwo's guest room. Peals of thunder sounded outside, and flashes of lightning flickered through the darkened camber.

How long had she been asleep for?

More memories – of Meowth, Mewtwo, and the dinner – flooded her mind, pushing the nightmare to the back of her mind. The very last thing she remembered was eating with Mewtwo, the Pokémon approaching her, and white hot, blinding pain. She must have blacked out sometime during the meal.

Looking down at herself, Amber also noticed that someone had changed her clothes. The white dress, sandals, and hat she had been wearing were folded up neatly, set on the floor next to the mirror. Now, she was wearing plain white, button-up pajamas, including a long-sleeved top and a bottom.

Had Mewtwo…? Thoughts of just who might have done changed her sent her ears and cheeks blazing with heat. She shook her head, feeling slightly appalled. Mewtwo was a Pokémon, and probably cared little about her human…_anatomy_. It wasn't like it was Ash, or Arceus forbid, _Brock_ undressing and redressing her!

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Startled, Amber fumbled with the sheets. Who could possibly be knocking on her door at this late hour? Her thoughts flickered back briefly to Mewtwo, and she felt her embarrassment intensify.

"Come in," she finally said.

The door slid open. Standing there, silhouetted against the bright light of the hallway, was Misty.

"Oh," Amber said. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, Misty."

"Hey," the orange-haired Gym leader replied. "I just wanted to check on you, to see how you were doing. We saw you were already asleep by the time we and our Pokémon got back from dinner."

"I was?" Amber asked.

"Speaking of which," Misty added, "Where were you? None of us saw you or your Pokémon there. We were worried something might have happened to you." She paused. _"Are _you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Amber assured her. She hesitated, but she figured she owed Misty and the rest of the trainers an explanation anyways. "Mewtwo invited me to dinner with him."

"What?" Misty gasped. "Why?"

"Um…" Amber faltered. She was just about to tell Misty exactly what happened, but a part of her held her back. If Mewtwo was interested in her because he thought she was 'different', that might not exactly be the best thing to tell Misty and the other trainers.

"…I don't know," she finished. At least it was partially true, though she did feel slightly guilty about not telling Misty the whole story. "But now, I know what happened to Meowth. He's working for Mewtwo now as some sort of 'representative'. He's going to be a mediator between us and Mewtwo."

"Well, that should be reassuring to Team Rocket. They've been really worried about him," Misty responded. "Well, I'll let you get some sleep. Good night, Amber."

"Good night, Misty," Amber replied, smiling back at the Gym leader. "And thank you for caring about me."

* * *

After their escape from Mewtwo's prison, thanks to Mew, Lance, Ash, and Pikachu were discussing a course of action as they walked down the hall.

"For now, we need to get our Pokémon back," Lance said. "Mewtwo must be keeping our Pokémon somewhere."

Ash nodded. "The last time I saw everyone's Pokémon, they were being kept in these weird Pokéballs in some sort of laboratory."

"Let's start there, first," Lance replied. "Then, if we don't find them there, we need to spread out and search the mansion."

"No offense, but how are we going to do that without getting caught?" Ash remarked. "Wouldn't Mewtwo or one of his Pokémon clones see us?"

Lance shook his head. "No. As far as I know, Mewtwo didn't even bother to have one of its clones stand guard. I don't think it had any clones, until after it trapped me here." The dragon master paused, looking engaged in his thoughts. "Even if it's a clone, Mewtwo is still a Pokémon. It probably needs to eat and sleep, too, as well as its clones. Right now, it's probably sleeping."

"So we have an important advantage…for now," Lance added. "But we need to move as quickly as possible. We don't have much time. Come morning, Mewtwo's clone will realize we've escaped." He paused. "But just to make sure none of us gets discovered, we need to stick together."

"Right," Ash affirmed, nodding. "Okay. Let's start with the laboratory."

The two trainers and Pokémon began searching the wing that they were in first. Ascending a level to an upper floor, it wasn't long before they discovered Mewtwo's laboratory. However, after a quick search, it was clear that the Pokéballs that had once held their Pokémon – off in a container next to the cloning machine – were empty.

"Mewtwo must have put our Pokémon somewhere else," Lance concluded. "Let's keep searching."

The dragon master led Ash, Pikachu, and Mew through a maze of identical-looking hallways, before finally coming to a junction of them. They paused, looking at each of the three openings, as they decided on what to do next.

"Let's split up," Lance directed, turning to the others. "Ash and Pikachu, you take that wing. I'll take that one. If either of us doesn't find our Pokémon, we'll go back the way we came, and meet up back here." He paused, turning to Mew. "Mew, you may join me if you like."

"_Mew!"_ the Pokémon affirmed, nodding.

"Alright, then," Lance said. He turned to the hallway directly in front of them. "We'll see you later, Ash. Good luck."

"You too, Lance," Ash responded. "C'mon, Pikachu."

"_Pika pi!" _The yellow, mouse-like Pokémon ran next to its trainer as they turned to the corridor to their left.

The trainer and his Pokémon walked for a bit. Finally, they came to widening in the hall, where a series of symmetrical-looking metal doors were placed. In one of the door frames stood a familiar figure, who had just taken a step out into the corridor.

"Misty!" Ash cried. He broke into a sprint, followed by Pikachu. Startled, the orange-haired trainer nearly jumped, turning to face them. Shock, disbelief, and relief spread across her features.

"Ash! Pikachu!" Misty called. Ash and Pikachu stopped a few feet from Misty. "You're okay!"

"Yeah," Ash said. "For now."

"What do you mean?" Misty asked. She sounded worried, even a bit frantic. "Where were you? Brock and I have been worried sick!"

"Mewtwo put me and Pikachu in a jail cell," Ash explained angrily. "But we managed to get out. That's not all, either." Ash paused briefly, taking a deep breath. "Lance is here, too."

"Lance?" Misty gasped. "But…I thought he went to the Johto region! He told the rest of the League members that he was going to train his Pokémon!"

"No," Ash said, his voice grim. "Mewtwo captured Lance and his Pokémon a while ago. It tricked him onto this island and threw him into a prison." The black-haired trainer paused. "Just like it did with all of us."

"Where's Lance?" Misty asked.

"He told us to split up," Ash replied. "He went into one of the other hallways to try and find our Pokémon."

"Ash!" Misty nearly yelled. "Do you know how dangerous that could be? One of those hallways leads to Mewtwo!"

"It does?"

"Yes!" Misty emphasized. "When Mewtwo sent us to these rooms, he told us that one of the wings was off-limits to humans. If he catches Lance there, he could kill him!"

A horrified look dawned upon Ash's face. He turned to Pikachu. "C'mon, Pikachu! We gotta go back, before something bad happens to Lance!"

"_Pika pika!"_ the Pokémon agreed.

"Wait!" Misty hissed. Just as Ash turned to run back to the corridor junction, she reached out, grabbing the back of his shirt. She yanked him aside. "Someone's coming!"

Heavy, padding footsteps sounded echoed off the metal floors of the corridor. Dragging Ash aside, Misty all but threw the black-haired trainer into one of the bedrooms – her own room - just as its metal door slid open. The door closed quickly behind Ash just as the approaching figure stepped into the hallway.

It was Mewtwo.

The psychic Pokémon stopped in his tracks, leveling his violet gaze at Misty. For a Pokémon, Mewtwo stood quite tall, towering over all of the humans Misty had met thus far in her life.

'_You…human,'_ Mewtwo addressed her. Misty fought the urge to wrinkle her nose in disdain at the label. _'Why are you not in bed at this hour?'_

"I…uh…" Misty began, her brain going blank. The orange-haired trainer could practically feel the sweat bead on her back, as Mewtwo's eyes bored into hers. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I, uh, wanted to check up on Amber?"

For a long moment, Mewtwo just stood there, staring at her. His catlike tail flicked from side to side. Misty could feel her palms grow slick with sweat, and her heart rate jump.

'_Your concern is appreciated,'_ Mewtwo finally said. Misty gave a mental sigh of relief. The psychic Pokémon had believed her. '_However, it is unnecessary. I can assure you that your friend is fine.' _Mewtwo paused, fixing Misty with a forceful glare. _'Now, human, I think you should go to sleep. You will need your energy and rest for tomorrow.'_

"For what?" Misty asked.

Mewtwo didn't answer her. Instead, he turned his back to Misty, heading back the way he had come.

"Hey!" Misty called after him. "Since you're keeping us here, we deserve some answers! Just what do you have planned? And what do you want with Amber?"

Mewtwo paused in his tracks for a moment.

'_You shall see.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance and Mew were headed down one of the other corridors. The dragon master and the pink Pokémon moved forward at a brisk pace, trying to cover as much ground as possible. As Lance walked, his footfalls echoing through the metal hall, Mew floated silently by his side.

Eventually, the two were faced with a fork in the hall. On one side was a flight of stairs, leading down to a lower level. They could either choose to take the stairs, or continue down the hall.

"What do you think, Mew?" Lance asked. "Should we go down there, or keep walking forward?"

Mew floated over to the opening to the level below. After a moment's pause, the Pokémon's nose twitched. It turned back to Lance, doing a somersault in midair.

"_Mew, mew, mew!"_

"Downstairs it is, then," Lance replied, and followed Mew as the Pokémon descended.

The trainer and psychic Pokémon entered a hallway that seemed identical to the upper floor – with one exception. As they pressed forward, Lance smelled a delicious aroma in the air. His curiosity pricked, Lance continued to follow Mew down to the end of the corridor, where a single, large metal door sat.

The door slid open, and Mew went inside. Lance followed, and he was surprised by what he saw: a large kitchen, easily many square feet wide and long, that had to be as big as a small restaurant. Counters lined the walls, which were also imbued with sinks and cabinets. It looked just like any other, professional food facility. A gigantic, metal pot sat in one corner of the room, billowing smoke as it steamed; the dragon master figured that was the source of the amazing, mouthwatering odor. Yet the odd thing that stood out to Lance was that, save for that, the kitchen was spotless…as well as crafted entirely out of metal, tiles and all.

Then, out from around a corner in the back, stepped out a familiar Pokémon. Lance instantly recognized the orange-and-yellow, scaled hide of the dragon-like creature, complemented by the brown satchel around its neck, which now turned its gaze to him – and Mew.

"Oh, great," Lance muttered darkly. So much for their escape, now.

The Dragonite's eyes widened in surprise, especially when its eyes darted to Mew. Then, the dragon Pokémon began to walk towards them.

This was bad. Lance automatically reached for his belt, only to remember that Mewtwo had taken all of his Pokémon away a long time ago. Mentally cursing, he took a step back, staring warily at Mewtwo's Dragonite as it approached them. Just as Lance thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse, Mew flew up to the Dragonite, circling around its head.

"_Mew, mew! Mew, mew, mew, mew!"_

The Dragonite stopped in its tracks. It tilted its head, making a rumbling noise in response. Mew seemed to speak again in the Pokémon language. Lance felt his jaw clench as he watched the two, feeling apprehension about just what Mew was trying to do. Was the psychic Pokémon a friend – or a foe?

Mewtwo's clone gave another rumble. Then, unfurling its wings, it turned back to Lance. It started to come towards him again. However, Lance was still unsure about this Dragonite's true intentions. With each step forward that the Dragonite took, Lance took a step backwards, until he finally backed into a wall. Within moments, he was cornered. With Dragonite's sheer height, presence, and bulk, there was no way to escape now.

Lance closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable attack. However, when nothing happened, he opened his eyes.

The Dragonite was still standing there, but it wasn't doing anything. Then, another one of its kind stepped from around the corner, heading towards them as well. This one Lance immediately recognized, even though it carried a satchel as well. While the other Dragonite, when viewed up close, looked slightly different from normal Dragonites, this particular twin was as 'normal' as they came.

"Dragonite!" Lance cried. He rushed forward, wrapping his arms around the bulky Pokémon as it stepped forward. Lance's Dragonite did the same to its trainer, gently placing its clawed paws on his back. After a touching reunion, the two pulled apart. "I'm glad you're alright! Did Mewtwo hurt you in any way?"

The dragon Pokémon shook its head. Then, reaching into its bag, the Pokémon pulled out a set of six Pokéballs. It offered each of them to Lance.

"My Pokémon!" Lance exclaimed. "Thank you, Dragonite!" He snapped each of the Pokéballs onto his trainer's belt. However, Lance turned to Mewtwo's Dragonite. "But you're one of Mewtwo's clones. Why are you helping us?"

'_I think I can explain that.'_

The voice that came behind Lance caused the dragon master to jump. Not only was the voice in his mind – usually reserved for Mewtwo – but it was definitely not Mewtwo's voice. Spinning around, he saw a little girl in a white sundress, white sandals, and a sun hat. Long, green hair fell to her shoulders, and sparkling, violet eyes looked back up at him. The girl giggled, bouncing on her toes.

"Who are you?" Lance asked. He looked around, but saw that Mew had vanished. "And where's Mew?"

'_I am Mew, silly,'_ the girl replied, giggling again.

Lance looked dumbfoundedly at the little girl before him. Mew had taken on a human form? But how was that even possible…?

'_I'm not really a human,'_ Mew responded. With a start, Lance realized the Pokémon was reading his thoughts. She twirled around once, holding the hem of her dress. _'I just took on the form of the first person that I remember after waking up. It's just a mental illusion. A trick of the mind.'_

"How…" Lance began to say, but his mouth failed to produce the words.

'_How did I learn how to talk like a human?'_ Mew said. _'Oh, that was easy. I can learn any Pokémon move in existence, you see. Learning the human language wasn't really that hard.'_ She paused. _'I talked to both Dragonite and Dexter.'_

"Dexter?" Lance echoed.

'_That's the name that Mewtwo's Dragonite chose for himself,'_ Mew explained. _'You see, it would be very confusing to just call both of them by the same name. We can't call them both 'Dragonite'.'_

Staring at her, only now did Lance realize just how small the human form Mew had taken on was. In human years, she couldn't have looked more than four years old. Just like the child she now embodied, Mew also spoke with a high-pitched, female voice that suited her human form.

'_Anyways,'_ Mew added_, 'I told both Dragonite and Dexter what was going on. Ever since Mewtwo cloned Dragonite, he's had him and Dexter working down here in the kitchens, and keeping up the mansion. Dragonite said that, up until the other trainers came to the island, your other Pokémon were working in the greenhouse and atrium.'_ She paused, and one of the Dragonites rumbled again. _'Dexter also adds that Mewtwo needed both him and Dragonite to send out invitations to the trainers in the first place. Since Mewtwo hates Pokéballs, most of the time, they were free to do as they pleased, as long as they helped out. But since Mewtwo had Dexter lock you up in the first place, I told him that he owed you a favor.'_

As he heard Mew translate the Dragonites' words for him, his mind struggled to process, and come to terms with, what Mew was telling him. All these months, in his mind, Lance had painted a picture of Mewtwo as a cruel, callous monster – a soulless beast that needed to be destroyed, and who treated Pokémon equally as callously as humans. So, too, were Mewtwo's clones – or so he'd thought. Now, however, with the dragon Pokémon's explanations, parts of Lance's carefully constructed view of Mewtwo were falling apart.

"I…find that difficult to believe," Lance began. His eyes briefly glanced over Mew, Dexter, and Dragonite. "But I don't see any reasons for you not to tell the truth. Thanks to you, Mew, I owe you my freedom."

'_No problem!'_ Mew said, giggling again. _'This game is fun!'_

"…game?" Lance repeated. Sudden realization, partly horror and partly shock, dawned on him. "You think this all a game?"

'_Isn't all of life a game?'_ Mew said. _'Mewtwo's mansion may be big, but it's also really boring. Metal walls, metal floors, everything. It's all the same. Not even a single toy! Can you believe it? How was I supposed to have any fun, especially with you and your friends locked up like that?'_

Lance gritted his teeth. Mew was right; without her, he, Ash, and Pikachu would still be rotting in Mewtwo's prison.

'_Besides,'_ Mew added, _'Just think of it like chess. Mewtwo is playing on one side of the board, while I'm playing on another. Mewtwo has made his first move. Now, it's time for me to make mine.'_ She paused again, smiling benevolently up at Lance. The dragon master, however, felt infuriated at Mew's nonchalant attitude about the whole situation.

"You're gambling with people's lives!" Lance protested. "Mewtwo's already captured other trainers! Just imagine what he could try next!"

'_Let him try,'_ Mew said. Her eyes twinkled. _'Mewtwo believes that he is stronger even than I. He believes that his clones are truly superior to every other Pokémon. I intend to prove him wrong.'_

"And if you fail?" Lance asked, his voice grim.

'_You underestimate me, Lance,'_ Mew said simply. _'I may look small and innocent, but I am anything but.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, standing around the corner, Meowth listened to everything that was being said. The cat-like Pokémon had come in through the back door, hoping to get some grub. He hadn't eaten in quite a while, and his stomach was growling with hunger. Yet when he heard the voices of the other Pokémon in the room – including that of a human and another Pokémon – he quickly ducked behind the back corner. He snuck a quick glance, and saw a familiar figure.

"It's Mew!" Meowth whispered. He poked his head around just enough to watch the pink Pokémon. Suddenly, Mew glowed a bright white. It Transformed into a human! Meowth nearly shouted in surprise, but clamped a paw over his mouth just in time.

As silently as he could, Meowth tip-toed out the back door. When the metal door slid shut behind him with a slight hiss, the Pokémon reached into the pocket of his jacket. Luckily for him, Meowth had been able to swipe a portable communications device from one of the trainer's pockets during dinner. Equally as lucky, it wasn't completely ruined by the storm. After a bit of fiddling, Meowth had figured out how it worked. Flipping open the device, Meowth punched in a number that he recalled directly from his memory.

Soon, the small screen on the device flickered to life. It was blurry at first, but then, a clear image formed there.

"What is it?" came a gruff, male voice from the speaker. "You had better have something good for me this time."

"You bet, Boss!" Meowth replied. "Just wait until you hear dis! I'm with not one, but several rare and powerful Pokémon!"

"Rare and powerful Pokémon?" the man stated. "What kinds?"

"The best kinds!" Meowth replied. "Blastoise, Charizard, Venusaur…and the two most rare and powerful Pokémon in the world – Mew and Mewtwo!"

_"WHAT?"_ the man snapped loudly. "Where are you?"

"Relax, Boss, I ain't goin' nowhere!" Meowth said. "I'm on a place called New Island. It's in the Orange Islands, to be exact."

There was nothing but silence in response. After nearly a minute of not getting an answer, Meowth spoke again into the receiver.

"Boss? You still dere?"

"Excellent work, Meowth," his boss's voice spoke, smooth and cool. Meowth nearly beamed in pride. "I'll be arriving shortly to claim them as Team Rocket property."

"Wait!" Meowth relied. "You're comin' here? Now?"

"Of course," his boss replied. "Thank you again, Meowth. I'll definitely look into a promotion for you. Perhaps you can even become a Team Rocket executive."

"Team Rocket executive? Me?" Meowth replied, stars in his eyes. "Oh, dank you, boss!"

"Oh, don't thank me," his boss replied. "It should be I who is thanking you." He hung up with a click, and the screen on the device went black.

* * *

Far away, in the Team Rocket headquarters, Giovanni Masterson sat at his desk, petting his Persian. The evolved form of Meowth, Persian was even more cat-like than its previous form. A large, quadruped, feline Pokémon, Persian had pale tan fur, with the exception of black-rimmed ears. It also had a sort muzzle with small, black nose; red eyes with slit pupils; rounded ears; a pair of pointed canines that extended down; and three whiskers on either side of its face. In the center of its forehead sat a single, red jewel.

"What an incompetent fool," Giovanni said, letting out a harsh laugh. "As if I would give Meowth a promotion. He's just as useless as those two simpletons he's assigned to, whatever their names are." He stroked his Persian fondly. "But we have to keep Meowth loyal until we reclaim my property, don't we?"

His Persian meowed in response, closing its eyes in contentment.

Suddenly, a blond, curly-haired, female Team Rocket grunt burst into Giovanni's office. Like the other two Rocket grunts guarding the door, she wore the typical, black uniform and hat, with a red 'R' on her chest. Panting, she paused, catching her breath for a moment as she straightened herself.

"You called for me, Boss?"

"Yes," Giovanni confirmed. "What is your name, again?"

She paused, looking hesitant. "My name is Domino, sir."

"Domino," Giovanni repeated. "I hear you've been accomplishing some very profitable results for Team Rocket lately. How would you like a promotion?"

"A promotion?" Domino echoed, looking excited. "Of course, Boss! Anything for you!"

"Excellent," Giovanni said. "How would you like to go on a special mission to New Island?"

* * *

**Disclaimer:** _Pokémon_ and all related literary characters are © 1996 - 2014 to Satoshi Tajiri and Nintendo. This is an unauthorized work of fiction, and should not be regarded as canon or real in any way. "Kindred Spirits", and all unrelated characters, are © 2014 to me, and are not be used in any other works of fanfiction not authorized or written by me without my permission.


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